TAG
THIS raucous comedy delivers just enough laughs to justify the price of a ticket.
But the end credits made me wonder if this story would have made an even better documentary.
This is where we see grainy footage of a group of chubby, middle-aged men playing the same game of tag they started in the school playground three decades earlier.
The tale of these real oddballs was related in a 2013 Wall Street Journal story that inspired the film. But instead of a documentary, they’ve decided to make a brash, comedy. Every May, slick Bob (Jon Hamm), competitive Hoagie (Ed Helms), stoner Chilli (Jake Johnson), worrywart Sable (Hannibal Buress) and super-fit Jerry (Jeremy Renner) keep their friendship alive by competing in a no-holds-barred, monthlong, game of tag.
A breezy opening scene shows us just how far these big kids are prepared to take the game, as Hoagie gets a job as a janitor at Bob’s New York insurance firm just so he can pounce in the middle of a meeting.
But it turns out Bob isn’t the main target. Jerry, rather implausibly, hasn’t been tagged since they started this nonsense 30 years ago.
But when they learn he’s due to be married on May 31, the pals see a golden opportunity to corner him before the game ends. And Hoagie’s wife Anna (Isla Fisher) is on their side...