Ready or Not (2019) review

15. Ready or Not (2019)

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Produced by: Tripp Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer

Screenplay by: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy

Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Elyse Levesque, Nicky Guadagni, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell

Do you remember the nervous excitement that comes from playing Hide-and-Seek? You’ve spent an embarrassingly long amount of time on that perfect hiding spot, and now you’re waiting with your hands over your mouth, hoping against hope that the seeker doesn’t find you, lest all your best-laid plans to emerge victorious will—oh my God, they have a gun?! Our penultimate film of the month is “Ready or Not,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed the last two “Scream” movies. It’s about a woman named Grace (Samara Weaving), who marries into the extremely wealthy Le Domas family, but is given a deadly surprise on her wedding night: specifically, a game of Hide-and-Seek that results in her running for her life through a mansion as the family members try to hunt her down and kill her. Submerged in dark comedy, blood-soaked set pieces, and a bad-ass performance from Samara Weaving, this is a tremendously fun game.

Grace is a former foster child who’s longed for a family of her own, and she thinks she’s found one when she marries Alex (Mark O’Brien), the estranged son of the owners of a successful games company. However, their nightly escapades are interrupted by the announcement of a Le Domas family tradition; at midnight, Grace will draw a card to play a random game with the rest of the family, a routine passed down from an old deal made between their ancestor and a Mr. Le Bail. The game turns out to be Hide-and-Seek; Grace plays along, but while she hides, the Le Domases—consisting of Alex’s mother and father Becky and Tony (Andie MacDowell & Henry Czerny), brother and sister Daniel and Emilie (Adam Brody & Melanie Scrofano), in-laws Fitch and Charity (Kristian Bruun & Elyse Levesque), aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni), who lost her husband in a similar game—gather weapons and go looking for Grace, intending to use her for a ritualistic sacrifice. Furious with Alex for the omission, Grace nevertheless struggles to stay alive, while Alex works behind the scenes to help her escape.

Sometimes the best way to make your nerve-wracking thriller endearing is just having a really cool leading lady; Weaver plays Grace as someone who can be kind, unassuming and eager to please, but also carries a rough edge, and she runs a packed gambit of emotions, afraid to trust and only growing more frustrated as the night goes on until all she can do is either scream like a banshee or laugh hysterically. She’s also featured prominently in the ongoing visual style, creating her own iconography with her attire of dirty old Chuck Taylor sneakers and a ripped wedding dress that gets increasingly filthy while holding a shotgun with display ammo; the disbelieved look Grace gives herself is great, like she’s just taking in how absurd this all is. There isn’t much composure or dignity; she gets a lot of moments where she just freaks out and doesn’t know what she’s doing, but there’s a believable commitment to it, making her easy to root for as she gradually finds her strength in fighting back.

Also playing into the aesthetic strength of the movie is the production and sound design; I’m a big fan of using classical music to offset scenes of mayhem. You might recognize the mansion, by the way; the location is the Casa Loma Museum in Toronto, and it’s been used in many films like “X-Men” and “Crimson Peak.” It’s a spot that helps provide the movie with plenty of great Gothic imagery and opportunities for further horrific acts; the scene where Grace is out in the shed and falls into a pit filled with the corpses of old sacrifices is wonderfully gruesome, culminating in a climb out where she impales her hand on an exposed nail. But the movie also knows how to infuse these truly barbaric acts with moments of levity without breaking the mood, as some of the characters go over-the-top while others play it straight and casual, like what’s happening is totally normal. I love that the movie doesn’t pull any punches; even the little kids don’t hesitate to pull the trigger on Grace, and they’re rewarded for their cruelty. Other would-be sympathetic family members easily sell her out to keep their position, and even Alex, though offering his help until he’s subdued, is ultimately out for himself.

Some of the films I’ve reviewed before have a leading character who’s head and shoulders above everyone else, but there are great supporting performances here. Adam Brody shows careful layers as the alcoholic Daniel, one who clearly hates the role his family has but isn’t strong enough to overcome it, Melanie Scrofano is hilarious as Emilie, a drug addict who accidentally kills two of the maids and pretty much acts like a whiny child about it, and Kristian Bruun plays Fitch as a clueless twit, taking breaks to watch YouTube videos on how to handle a crossbow. I think I would’ve preferred it if a couple more of the family members were at all competent with these weapons, but it is funny to watch these rich yuppies act like the most pretentious wannabe assassins. However, I do think the writing for Alex and his motivation is a little vague, and some of the conversations are somewhat repetitive.

But at the end of the day, “Ready or Not” is just an entertaining package of thrills; while the way the game resolves may feel a little abrupt, what it ultimately builds up to is priceless, possibly one of the most satisfying endings to any movie I’ve reviewed here over the years. There have been some real horror gems in recent years that have also perfectly blended bits of comedy, like “Happy Death Day” and “M3GAN,” which is indicative of how the genre continues to evolve, and they really leave an impact with audiences; there’s currently a sequel in development, with Weaving, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett all slated to return, even though I’m skeptical for certain plot-related reasons. This is honestly one of the more enjoyably original premises, and the execution really delivers; it may have its stale and somewhat tedious moments, but from start to finish, you’re on the edge of your seat, either to scream or laugh.

My rating: 8.5/10