Cast:
Ed Helms Hogan “Hoagie” Malloy
Jon Hamm Bob Callahan
Annabelle Wallis Rebecca Crosby
Jake Johnson Randy “Chilli” Cilliano
Isla Fisher Anna Malloy
Hannibal Buress Kevin Sable
Jeremy Renner Jerry Pierce
Leslie Bibb Susan Rollins
Rashida Jones Cheryl Deakins
As mentioned previously in reviews, Friday and Saturday are the nights that we watch movies instead of the various series and programs that proliferate cable and streaming services. With COVID news dominating the television lately, we wanted to watch something that was silly and entertaining. A movie that would be fun enough to make us laugh and not think about the plot, characters, or “how did they do that”, just a film that we could laugh and enjoy. I looked through the stack of unwatched films, and saw TAG! I figured that this movie would fit the bill.
What is TAG about? This comedy is loosely based on a true story of a bunch of men who had been playing the same game of TAG for 30 years. You would think that such a poor idea would not be well suited for a film, but alas, you would be wrong. This film centres on a group of middle age “adolescent” men who have been playing the same game of TAG for decades. For one month every year, the last person who was “IT” must search out his friends to TAG them. Nothing is sacred, and no plan is too lame for these men as they pursue each other. However, they have one mutual goal, that is to Tag Jerry Peirce (Renner). Jerry’s (Renner) claim to fame is that he has never been tagged in the history of their game. Jerry (Renner) is elusive, faster, agile, and more strategic than any of the other players, and has also taken great pride in the fact that he has never been IT!
To give the outline of the film, as well as an outline can be given in a film like this; Hoagie (Helms), opens the film as he plans a surprise Tag on his friend Bob Callahan (Hamm) at his company. Callahan (Hamm) is the CEO of his own company and is in the process of getting interviewed for a major magazine by Rebecca Crosby (Wallis), when a janitor enters the conference room and the mayhem begins. The janitor is Hoagie (Helms) and the game of Tag starts again for another season. In short order they gather the rest of the crew from various cities and situations. The remainder are Chilli (Johnson) and Sable (Buress). The four men with the reporter (Wallis) and Hoagie’s wife, Anna (Fisher) in tow, head to their home town. Once home, they meet in Hoagie’s (Helms) basement to plan out their strategy. Of all the players, Hoagie (Helms) and his wife Anna (Fisher) are the most intense in the pursuit of Jerry (Renner), while the remainder of the crew are just in it for the fun, or the story, in the case of the reporter, Rebecca (Wallis).
Shortly after arriving to their home town, the crew discover that Jerry is soon to be married. The marriage preparation and ceremony is where they feel that they would be best placed to finally tag Jerry (Renner). Several attempts to tag Jerry (Renner) soon follow, and it is discovered that Susan (Bibb), Jerry’s bride to be is pregnant. The crew are invited to the wedding, however, there are conditions that the game is not to interfere with the wedding in any way shape or form. Through these misadventures in tagging we meet several other characters, the loser bartender who always wanted to be part of the game (Lou Seibert played by Steve Berg) and a lost love of Bob (Hamm) and Chilli (Johnson) by the name of Cheryl Deakins (Rashida Jones). Throughout the film, each attempt to Tag Jerry (Renner) becomes more outlandish than the previous. Jerry (Renner) escapes each attempt with style and panache, further antagonizing his friends. It is not till the end of the film, where a secret is revealed by Hoagie (Helms) that he finally allows himself to be tagged.
TAG’s cast is littered with celebrities of various calibers. However, this ensemble works! Let’s start with Hoagie (Helms). He is a comedic actor with a prolific resume. Helms has either supported or led in many successful films or television shows. For example, his performances in The Office, We’re the Millers, and the Hangover Trilogy are hilarious. In this film, he also brings his comic intensity to the forefront. He is the ringleader of this game, his antic made me laugh out loud at times…everything from his costumes to his facial expressions added to the jocularity of the film.
Jon Hamm as Bob Callahan: For me, Jon Hamm will always be known as Don Draper from Mad Men. He was the booze swilling, girl chasing, misogynist with a brilliant mind for advertising. However, of late, he has been delving more and more into comedic roles. In TAG, he plays more of a straight man with some well timed dead-pan wit. Even his physical humour has stepped up, for example, in the boardroom where Hoagie believes that he is trapped. Callahan (Hamm) picks up a chair and throws at a window so that he can make his escape, yet, the chair bounces back and knocks him on his head. Yes, another laugh out loud moment for something slapstick. Not only is he integral to the game, plot and the soon to be published story by the intrepid reporter Rebecca Crosby (Wallis), his whole character adds to the film. His portrayal of Callahan was excellent, and I look forward to seeing him in more comedic roles instead of just commercials for “skip the dishes” and smaller roles in other comedies (i.e. Bridesmaids).
Annabelle Wallis as Rebecca Crosby: As mentioned previously, Wallis is the reporter who is doing a background on Callahan (Hamm) for her magazine. Once introduced to TAG as a witness in the aforementioned boardroom scene, she decides to “tag” along if you will to see the outcome. Using her shrewd investigative skills (and because it is in the script) she follows Callahan et al along for the ride and subsequently writes a story on the whole game. At first Wallis seemed to be new to my wife and I as an actress, however, her face was familiar. Little did we know that she had been in a number of films and tv shows that we had previously watched and enjoyed. For us, her most memorable role was that of Jane Seymour in “The Tudors”. However, we had also seen her in various other films, King Arthur, The Mummy and the show Strike Back.
Jake Johnson as Randy “Chilli” Cilliano: Chilli is the group’s drug addled friend. Life is easy, just go with it, as long as the pipe and drugs are nearby to give a good buzz. Chilli can represent someone in any group of friends from childhood and is very relatable character. Johnson’s version of Chilli is entertaining and light and leads to some funny scenes amongst the group. Even though Johnson has been around for awhile and has an impressive resume, we have only really taken notice of him lately in “Stumptown”. He is a solid actor and routinely gives credible performances. Chilli was a value added character who helped to provide levity throughout the film.
Isla Fisher as Anna Malloy: Anna (Fisher) is Hoagie’s wife and matches his intensity and devotion to the game. As the willing accomplice to any endeavour, she cheerleads from the side to give her husband the confidence and impetus to succeed. A very intense actress, Fisher can transit from playing the devoted wife, the nymphomaniac bridesmaid to be, or shopaholic with ease. However, comedy is her strong suit and this is where she excels the most. We enjoyed her contribution to this film and are looking forward to more comedies with Isla as part of the cast.
Hannibal Buress as Kevin Sable: Sable was the neurotic friend, constantly looking for reassurance and compassion where there was none to give. While part of the core cast, we found his contributions to be minimal compared to the rest. He was often used to provide background info or just be a filler in the story between action scenes.
Jeremy Renner as Jerry Pierce: Jerry (Renner) was the principal antagonist of the film, he had the swagger, speed and arrogance required to effectively carry off the part. Renner, normally an action/drama star (The Hurt Locker, The Town, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Avengers, and the Bourne Legacy to name but a few) rarely forays into comedic roles. However, as part of the ensemble here, he easily represents the target of their combined angst. His inherent mischievousness that is evident in every role he plays really shines through. A very physical actor (as demonstrated by his resume), he easily convinces the audience that he can out-manoeuvre any attempt at capture. Renner’s portrayal as Jerry was fun to watch, especially when he would do his “Pre-action” narration prior to any activity or evasion.
Leslie Bibb as Susan Rollins and Rashida Jones as Cheryl Deakins: Both actress’s roles were really minor in my opinion. They were relegated to minor love interests and only assisted in a very minor fashion to the telling of the story. Susan (Bibb) as the bride to be was in important to the story, but her contribution was actually relatively minor. Sure, she played the fake pregnancy card and laid out some rules, but other than that, she was relegated to minor status. Cheryl (Jones) contribution was even less so. While part of a love triangle between Chilli, Callahan and herself as children, this part could have been erased completely with no real difference to the film’s outcome. She seemed to be added to the film due to the fact that she had so much history with the other cast members. Ok, she was a bit funny, not overly so, but again, this character could have been removed with no real impact to the film’s outcome.
We did watch the bonus extras of the film where the real participants of TAG were interviewed and reminisced, so that did help in the overall appreciation of the film and provided a bit of the back story. Did we enjoy this film? Yes, we did. It was funny, silly and totally brainless. In this time of global stress and angst, this film was a small escape. All you had to do is cue up the film, open a bottle of Pinot Grigio (this is not a serious film, so something light is required), make some popcorn and sit and enjoy the ride. Remember, this is no work of art, but you will be entertained, you will laugh and will have a chance to escape reality just for a little bit and remember what it was like to be carefree as a child.
Our rating: 5/10
If you are interested in other films/TV shows by the principal characters, consider the following:
Ed Helms We’re the Millers, The Office, The Hangover trilogy
Jon Hamm Bridesmaids, Mad Men, Richard Jewell, Million Dollar Arm
Annabelle Wallis The Mummy, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Jake Johnson Stumptown, New Girl
Isla Fisher Wedding Crashers, The confessions of a shopaholic
Jeremy Renner The Avengers, The Hurt Locker, The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle
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