Funny Games

Maybe the least fun you'll have all year, and we mean that as a compliment

By Matt Pais

Critic's Rating:

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An isolated lake house seems safe, right? Well, shortly after arriving at their second home, a family (a fantastic Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Devon Gearhart) is taken hostage by creepy blonde kids Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet) who force them to play twisted games. Plus, as if he knows he's in a movie, Paul continuously remarks that the ordeal needs plot development and even occasionally addresses the audience, asking if we think the family will live or die.

Big question: Can writer-director Michael Haneke's ("Cache") shot-for-shot remake of his 1997 German-language film avoid glorifying or simplifying things for torture porn-hungry American audiences?

Catch it: Peter and Paul's eerie politeness is chilling -- there's nothing scarier than a vulnerable facade masking menace beneath -- and the film's much more than an exercise in sinister psychological warfare. Unable to call anyone for help, the happy family realizes their affluent getaway has become a prison, while "Funny Games" becomes a commentary on incomprehensible cruelty and the way we use on-screen horror to tell ourselves everything will be OK off-screen, even when we never really know that for sure.

Skip it: If you show up for every "Saw" or "Final Destination" movie eager to see the gruesome ways special effects can pretend to mutilate the body. Nearly all the violence in "Funny Games" happens off-screen, giving you no opportunity to hoot, holler and high-five when someone dies! Pretty insensitive, we know.

Bottom line: Haneke, a master of quiet dread, tackles issues that mean much more now than they did 11 years ago, and the movie's so tense that you may forget to breathe. Those who survive the suspense will find all-around terrific acting and a discussion-worthy challenge to the ways and reasons we think people die in real life and in movies--and what our understanding of one has to do with the other.

Bonus: If anyone is planning to steal Tiger Woods' golf bag to mimic his game, Ann (Watts) gives you reason to think twice: "The club doesn't make the player." Man, now you might actually have to train!

Video: Watch the review of 'Funny Games'

What do you think of 'Funny Games'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com