A group of 5 friends start a yearly game of TAG when they are just young boys in school. The rules of the game are simple- only the five boys are allowed to play (no one else!), and the game starts and ends during May. Whoever is IT at the end of May has to wait for the game to resume the next year in May again.

Fast forward 30 years later to the present day and the boys are now grown up adults who are still playing the game once a year for the full month of May. It’s also the one time of the year that brings the original guys back together, so they don’t lose touch with one another.

To make the film more exciting and humorous, one of the five leading players, Jerry (played by Jeremy Renner), has been impossible to tag because he’s just too damn good at the game. This year, defeat is not an option, and the four men will team up together to try and TAG one man.

Those who are unaware, this film is fact-based on actual events of a group of men who not only still play TAG, but go great distances to try and tag the other players. The lengths they will go to include dressing up entirely so the other players are not aware of their presence, or sometimes sneaking into the boot of someone’s car and so on.

I was rather curious, as the film’s concept is different to anything we have seen previously seen in a comedy.

While the idea is good, the film’s result can be rather average, and at the time our jokes can feel repetitive. Sometimes it feels like the same scene is repeated, with our main characters setting up a situation to try and catch Jeremy Renner’s character.

Jeremy Renner does manage to bring many good jokes to the film, including us, hearing his inner monologue in action moments, just like Robert Downy Jr in Sherlock Holmes.

The film also introduces a few side plots which don’t always get full resolution. One example is watching a couple of the guys both trying to win the affection of one woman. This side story has no real point and never feels complete or resolved.

On a positive note, I genuinely love the comedy cast and line up. Jerry (Jeremy Renner), Callahan (Jon Hamm), Randy (Jake Johnson), Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Hoagie (Ed Helms) are excellent, and one my favourite crazy stars in this film is Hoagie’s wife, played by Isla Fisher.

Overall, Tag is a comedy I would recommend if you want to watch a brainless comedy. The jokes here are forgettable, but the film’s plot and concept is what’s fresh and new here.

5.8/10

Thank you for visiting! Walkden Entertainment is also available on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkdenentertainment/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkdenentertainment/

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Peter_Walkden/

Review Written by Peter Walkden