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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

Tag
Starring: Ed Helms, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb, Annabelle Wallis, and Rashida Jones
Synopsis: George Bernard Shaw said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." I bring that up both because it's a quote that's used (to varying attribution) throughout the film "Tag," and because it's an apt life philosophy that the film embraces. And it makes you want to embrace it, too. On the surface this is a wild idea. The film focuses on a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag across the country for the last 30 years. It began when they were kids, but each May the game has kept them bonded as adults. Through marriages, funerals, births and everything in between, the ritual of tag has kept these five friends connected. Well, it's kept four of them connected and given the fifth (Renner) some bragging rights. You see Jerry (Renner) has never been tagged. And now he's getting ready to give up the game, and he's getting married, so his friends are determined to end his streak. They descend on their home town with a Wall Street Journal reporter (Wallis) in tow. She was doing a profile on Bob (Hamm) when she learned of their game of tag, leading to a change of direction. The problem, besides Jerry's skill at the game, is his fiance (Bibb), who doesn't want any talk of tag ruining her dream wedding. So the core group has to find a way to continue their tradition, re-connect and properly celebrate their friend. This seems like a wild idea. It's hard to imagine a group of adults, in the midst of successful careers and family life, playing a kids game. But this film is based on a true story about a group that does just that, and was celebrated in a Wall Street Journal article. And as Helms' Hoagie points out in the film, it isn't about playing a kids game, it's about having a reason to stay close, connected and in each others lives. The game is about connection and community, and the final act really drives that point home in an emotionally satisfying way. I also thought the film was a lot of fun before that. The casting is great, and the sequences are executed well. This was the most fun I've had at the movies this summer, and a gem in the midst of an uneven summer blockbuster season.
Rating: R for language throughout, crude sexual content, drug use and brief nudity.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, June 22: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," "Won't You Be My Neighbor"
Friday, June 29: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," "Uncle Drew," "The Hustle"