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
