Gamers
What do 20 sided dice and the Greatest American Hero have in common?
Tags: Gamers Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 17th, 2006
It’s always hard to come up with a movie with gaming as a central plot point without coming across as being “by nerds for nerds” and not find a wide audiences. Gamers attempts to do this by taking a page out of Christopher Guest’s book and doing a mock documentary about a group of friends who are attempting to break the world record of playing
First, let me get the problems I have with the film out of the way. The game, Demons, Nymphs, and Dragons (DND), is very obviously made up. It would have been better had the game in the film been at least an obscure role playing game, but real. I know that there are lawsuits to consider, but when you are going to have the cast play a game that is obviously a “version” of Dungeons & Dragons, it would be best to at use something a bit more grounded in reality.
The second major problem I have with the film is that for a mock documentary, there are too many flashback sequences which are filmed in the same style and look. It breaks continuity. This, more than the game being played really took me out of the story on a repeated basis.
Lastly, and this may be too much, is that the plot itself has these people playing this role-playing game for an average of 52 hours a week, every week, for 23 years. Doesn’t that come across as a bit ludicrous even to the more hardcore gamers out there? There is a suspension of disbelief that needs to happen with films, but the world created need to be grounded in some sort of reality.
All of that said….
Gamers is a funny film that can be enjoyed if you are able to look past these problems.
Some of the actors in the film are obviously professionals (and I’m not talking about the cameos by William Katt, Kelly LeBrock or supporting cast members John Heard and Beverly D’Angelo), with some apparently the writer/director’s friends. This isn’t a problem as the whole cast plays their parts very well with an air of believability. When Gordon’s parents are interviewed about their son’s pastime, they have an air of resignation that comes across as authentic.
What really sells the film, however, is the comedy. There are some truly classic bits that would not have otherwise come to fruition under any other context. Some of the hilarity is on the tasteless side (did we really need to see him walk out the barn with “horse junk” all over his head – wouldn’t there be a towel handy for such an eventuality?) while the best stuff is seen coming but the buildup only makes it that much greater (such as the White Wizard outfit).
There are a couple of twists to the story, some of which is necessary for the film to genuinely be as long as it is. It’s a good length, not beating the same joke over and over again, which films like this can easily do. I watched the film with my wife, who never played a role-playing game (and never will) and she found it funny, as the film isn’t centered on what happens after the dice are rolled, but instead the human interaction of this core group of gamers and the people around them.
The DVD comes with a commentary track that will appeal to the audience the film was made for – those that have a couple of sets of dice in varying numerical denominations. It could also be useful for aspiring filmmakers as well.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Funny + Pokes fun at hardcore RPGers without demeaning them and doing so in a way that makes it accessible to non-gamers |
7.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- "Horse junk" - Flashback sequences (for a mock documentary, not enough attention was given to the details) - Unrealitic gaming timeline |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Perhaps not the best film to portray a hobby that millions enjoy, it is at least funny and accessible. | |
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Tags: Gamers
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 17th, 2006 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
