Funny Games (2007 film)

For the original film version, see Funny Games (1997 film).

Funny Games
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Haneke
Written by	Michael Haneke
Produced by	Christian Baute Chris Coen Hamish McAlpine Andro Steinborn
Starring	Naomi Watts Tim Roth Michael Pitt Brady Corbet Devon Gearhart
Cinematography	Darius Khondji
Edited by	Monika Willi
Distributed by	Warner Independent Pictures
Release date	March 14 2008
Running time	112 min.
Countries	US Austria
Language	English
Budget	$15 million

Funny Games is the 2008 American remake of the 1997 Austrian horror film Funny Games. Original writer/director Michael Haneke (Caché and La Pianiste) wrote and directed, and Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Michael Pitt star. The film is a shot-for-shot remake of its predecessor, translated into English and with different actors.

Plot

The film opens with the Farber family—George (Tim Roth), his wife Ann (Naomi Watts), their about 10-year-old son Georgie (Devon Gearhart), and their dog arriving at their lake house. Their next-door neighbor stops in to help launch the family's sailboat, accompanied by a young man, Paul (Michael Pitt), whom he introduces as a friend. A short time later, another young man, Peter (Brady Corbet), also a "friend" of the neighbors, arrives to borrow eggs from Ann. He gets the eggs, but breaks them and asks for new ones. While waiting for them, he knocks Ann's cell phone into the filled kitchen sink, pretending it is an accident. He leaves with the eggs but soon returns again, claiming that they broke when the dog attacked him. Paul comes also and borrows a golf club to try it outside, returning a few minutes later.

A frustrated Ann demands that the men leave, but they ignore this. When George and Georgie return from launching the boat, George apologizes at first for his wife's unfriendliness toward the "guests." However, he soon realizes their rudeness as well and slaps Paul's face to throw them out. Paul reacts by breaking George's leg with the borrowed golf club, after which he and Peter refuse to let anyone leave and begin to play a series of sadistic games. First is a game of "Warm and Cold," in which Paul guides Ann to the family car, where she finds the carcass of the dog--beaten to death with the golf club.

When some neighbors from across the lake arrive for a visit, Ann and Paul meet them at the dock; she passes him off as a friend until they leave. Once everyone is back inside the house, Paul offers to bet that the entire family will be dead by 9:00 the next morning, roughly 12 hours from now. Between games, he and Peter--who often call each other "Tom and Jerry" and "Beavis and Butt-head"--keep up a constant patter, with Paul frequently ridiculing Peter's weight and lack of intelligence. He also tells a number of contradicting stories of Peter's past, though no definite explanation is ever presented as to the men's origins or motives. Throughout the film, Paul also breaks the fourth wall several times, commenting to the audience about the situation.

The next game is "Cat in a Bag," in which Peter places a sack over Georgie's head and threatens to strangle him unless Ann briefly strips naked for Paul. Georgie is tortured by Peter off camera to chlling screams. him . After she has done so, Paul tells Peter to quote, "take Georgie upstairs and changes his diapers". A scuffle breaks out and Georgie escapes the house through a second-story window. With Paul in pursuit, he slips into the neighbors' house only to discover that they have been killed. He picks up a shotgun from the floor and tries to use it against Paul; it is not loaded, though, and both he and the weapon are brought back. Peter has now bound Ann hand and foot.

Paul gives the shotgun and one of two shells (from his pocket) to Peter, and they start a counting-out game to decide which family member to kill. Peter is left to finish the game as Paul gets a snack from the kitchen; when Paul comes back, he finds that Peter has shot Georgie by mistake and also broken George's arm. The two men leave, taking the shotgun and returning the golf club Paul borrowed.

George and Ann weep for their loss and resolve to survive this ordeal any way they can. Ann cuts herself free of her bindings, and she and George try to get her cell phone working by using a hair dryer to dry out all the parts. They have no success, but George keeps trying as Ann leaves the house to flag down any passing cars for help. A short time later, George is interrupted by the return of Paul and Peter, with the bound and gagged Ann in tow. Taking the phone from him and loading the shotgun with the shell still in Paul's pocket, they begin to play a new game, "The Loving Wife," for which Ann's gag is removed. If she can say a prayer (chosen by Peter) forwards and backwards without any mistakes, she can decide whether she or George will die next, and whether it will be by knife or shotgun. Before the game is over, though, she grabs the loaded gun and kills Peter with it.

Enraged, Paul digs out the television remote control and uses it to rewind the film itself for several seconds. Once normal action resumes, he moves the gun out of the way as Ann dives for it, then shoots George dead as punishment for breaking the rules. That morning, Paul and Peter take Ann--again bound and gagged--sailing on the family boat. She tries to cut herself loose with a knife that has fallen into the boat, but it is quickly found and dropped overboard. Paul soon pushes her into the water to drown, winning the bet with an hour to spare. Docking at the house of the family that had previously visited the Farbers, Peter stays with the boat while Paul goes inside to borrow some eggs--a hint that the cycle of sadism and murder is about to begin again. Paul directs a smirk toward the camera as the film ends.

Cast

• Naomi Watts as Ann Farber
• Tim Roth as George Farber
• Michael Pitt as Paul
• Brady Corbet as Peter
• Devon Gearhart as Georgie Farber
• Boyd Gaines as Fred
• Siobhan Fallon as Betsy

Release

The film premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20 2007. Its U.S. premiere was at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival on January 19 2008. It began a limited release in the United States and Canada on March 14 2008, distributed by Warner Independent. A wider release will be on April 8, 2008. The Film was also shown in Istanbul Film Festival which took place between April 5-20 2008.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of March 21 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 47% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 96 reviews. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.

Todd Gilchrist from IGN called the film "Unrelenting and brilliant, Funny Games is a truly great film — an incisive, artistic triumph that doubles as a remarkably thrilling and unique cinematic experience." Conversely Joshua Rothkopf from Time Out New York said the film was "A sour project that defines anti-imaginative." Writing of the original 1997 release, New York Times critic Stephen Holden both called the film a "morally challenging work of art" and "a sophisticated act of cinematic sadism." A.O. Scott used similar language in his review of the American remake:

"At least with the remade “Funny Games,” Mr. Haneke shows a certain kinship with someone like Eli Roth, whose “Hostel” movies have brought nothing but scorn from responsible critics."

Home media

The DVD was released on June 10, 2008. The DVD does not contain any extra material but instead it includes both widescreen and full screen editions on one disc.

External links

• Official site
• Funny Games at IMDb
• Funny Games at Rotten Tomatoes
• Funny Games at Metacritic
• Funny Games at Box Office Mojo
• Funny Games at AllMovie
• IONCINEMA.com interview with Michael Haneke on Funny Games U.S.
• Alternate Takes essay on Funny Games