Tag (2018)

A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.

Director:

Jeff Tomsic

Writers:

Rob McKittrick (screenplay by), Mark Steilen (screenplay by)

Stars:

Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Helms	...	Hogan 'Hoagie' Malloy
Lil Rel Howery	...	Reggie
Jon Hamm	...	Bob Callahan
Annabelle Wallis	...	Rebecca Crosby
Jake Johnson	...	Randy 'Chilli' Cilliano
Isla Fisher	...	Anna Malloy
Hannibal Buress	...	Kevin Sable
Nora Dunn	...	Linda Malloy
Steve Berg	...	Lou Seibert
Jeremy Renner	...	Jerry Pierce
Leslie Bibb	...	Susan Rollins
Rashida Jones	...	Cheryl Deakins
Indiana Sifuentes	...	Mexican Jerry
Trayce Malachi	...	Young Boy in Mall
Jock McKissic	...	Security Guard at Mall

Storyline

Childhood friends Jerry (Jeremy Renner), Callahan (Jon Hamm), Randy (Jake Johnson), Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Hoagie (Ed Helms) have been competing in the same game of tag for 30 years. When Jerry gets married, he attempts to retire from the intense annual game without ever being "it," causing the other four to band together and go to extreme lengths to finally tag him. Directed by Jeff Tomsic. Inspired by the Wall Street Journal article "It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It."

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Plot Keywords:

tag the game | friendship | hospital | fake pregnancy | bar | 

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Taglines:

Based on a True Story. We're Not Kidding.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, crude sexual content, drug use and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite playing classmates, the cast members are not all the same age. Hannibal Buress (Kevin Sable) is five to twelve years younger than his co-stars.

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Goofs

In the forest scene, Jerry places a boom box on the ground in front of a tree and presses play on the cassette deck. "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne begins to play and can be heard throughout the forest, but the reels on the cassette never turn while the music is playing.

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Quotes

Randy: [from trailer, at Hoagie's father's funeral] I think your dad would have really wanted you to be...
[tags Hoagie]
Randy: ... it.

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Crazy Credits

The main characters sing along with "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" during the credits. When the song ends, Jeremy Renner is tagged by someone off screen. Renner curses and chases after the culprit.

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Connections

Featured in Conan: Chris Hardwick/Leslie Bibb/Nore Davis (2018)

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Soundtracks

Check the Rhime
Written by Roger Ball, Malcolm Duncan, Q-Tip (as Kamaal Fareed), Steve Ferrone (as Stephen Ferrone), Alan Gorrie, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (as Ali Muhammad), Onnie McIntyre (as Owen McIntyre), Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph, Hamish Stuart, Phife Dawg (as Malik Taylor) and Leon Ware
Performed by A Tribe Called Quest
Courtesy of RCA Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Contains a sample of "Baby, This Love I Have"
Performed by Minnie Riperton
Contains a sample of "Fly Like An Eagle"
Performed by Steve Miller Band (as The Steve Miller Band)
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Contains a sample of "Love Your Life"
Performed by Average White Band (as The Average White Band)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corporation

User Reviews

Catch me if you can

Loved the idea, based on a true story, the advertising was interesting and the cast is a talented one (Jeremy Renner, Isla Fisher and John Hamm particularly have shown themselves to be more than capable in a lot of things). 'Tag' had the potential right off the bat to be a fun and intriguing film, regardless of its mixed critical reception.

'Tag' turned out to be just that, fun and intriguing with some over-the-top excitement and a few tender moments. It is far from perfect and it is not great or one of those unforgettable films of the ages films, with content that is not going to be for all tastes, but it did make me smile and laugh and a lot of effort went into it. Neither one of the best films of the year or the worst, instead it's somewhere in the middle which is not too bad a position to be in.

It looks good, slick, stylish and sometimes clever, never incoherent. The music appeals on the ear and is hardly ill fitting. The direction shows an ease with the material and allows the cast and their chemistry to shine. Much of 'Tag' goes at a lively pace and the cast are stellar mostly, Jeremy Renner and Isla Fisher being particularly good.

A good deal of the film is very funny and often hilarious. Am actually not always a fan of lowbrow comedy, am more a sophisticated, witty and subtle (and also dark and screwball) sort of person myself, but there are times where it's done well thanks to the wit, the sharp timing and the comic timing of the cast and 'Tag' is one of those examples. A few touching tender moments too and it makes the game of tag interesting and exciting.

However, 'Tag' is not perfect. The flimsiness of the story does show in moments of slack pacing in some extraneous scenes (namely the dramatic ones). The film sometimes goes overboard on the sentimentality, the tacked on (or that's how it felt) ending, as well as the over-the-topness.

While most of the cast are fine, Leslie Bibb's overacting does get too much quite badly that it gets tiresome. Didn't see the need for Jake Johnson's character when nothing is done with him, merely an example of a just there stereotype. Do agree that some of the content is distasteful, am not surprised actually at the offense the miscarriage jokes/parts have garnered (can be known to find things found controversial blown out of proportion in film, not this time with it being one of the worst things one can go through).

Summing up, an uneven film but an enjoyable one. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

15 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Tag Brothers

Filming Locations:

Spokane, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,947,396, 17 June 2018

Gross USA:

$54,730,625

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$78,130,625

Company Credits

Production Co:

Broken Road Productions, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1