All Fun and Games (2023) – Review/ Summary
With a “Sex Education” and “Stranger Things” alumni, and the Russo Brothers as executive producers, this had to be good… right?
General Information
| Director(s) | Eren Celeboglu, Ari Costa |
| Screenplay By | Eren Celeboglu, Ari Costa, J.J. Braider |
| Based On | N/A |
| Date Released (Video On Demand) | September 1, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Young Adult |
| Film Length | 1 Hour 16 Minutes |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Kathy | Annabeth Gish |
| Jonah | Benjamin Evan Ainsworth |
| Uncle Bob | Erik Athavale |
| Marcus | Asa Butterfield |
| Pete | Kolton Stewart |
| Sophie | Laurel Marsden |
| Billie | Natalia Dyer |
What Is “All Fun And Games” Rated And Why?
“All Fun and Games” is Not Rated but contains:
- Dialog: Cursing
- Violence: Depiction of suicide, blood, and murder
- Sexual Content: None
- Miscellaneous: Drinking
Film Summary
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Originally, the night was supposed to be simple. Billie, with their best friend Sophie, were going to go to a party, and thanks to Billie’s boyfriend Pete inviting him, Marcus would come along, and while Uncle Bob may not be trusted by his sister Kathy, her two eldest would leave the youngest, Jonah, with Bob. But that would only have been how things played out if life were simple. Instead, Jonah had to grab onto some cursed object, get possessed by a demon, and then push his family and their friends to play games where, if you lose, likely you’re going to die.
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Billie
Past high school but not in college, Billie just wants to leave Salem, live in a city and all the drama she grew up with? She just wants to leave that behind and start a new life.
Sophie
Sophie is Billie’s best friend and a lesbian who is going off to Smith College to continue her studies.
Pete
Pete is Billie’s boyfriend, who she is supposed to move away with.
Marcus
Marcus is Billie’s younger brother, Kathy’s middle child, who doesn’t have much going for him, considering his little brother, Jonah, is the closest thing to a friend he has, and beyond playing drums, Marcus doesn’t do much with his day.
Uncle Bob
Uncle Bob is Kathy’s brother, who isn’t doing that great in life and is so unreliable that Kathy doesn’t even trust him with watching Jonah, who is 13.
Jonah
13-year-old Jonah is the youngest of Kathy’s kids, by their deadbeat dad. He mainly spends time with Marcus, whom he idolizes and bonds with more than anyone else in the family.
Kathy
A single mom who often works multiple shifts to make ends meet, Kathy is often exhausted and leans on Billie heavily to keep the house going in her absence.
The Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Who Is This For?
“All Fun and Games” is made for horror fans who don’t want to watch a 90+ minute movie but just want something to scratch that itch until something more grand comes along.
Highlights
Just As It Begins To Overstay Its Welcome, It Ends
At an hour and 16 minutes, “All Fun and Games” doesn’t overstay its welcome. It gets in, establishes who is who and everyone’s dynamic, ups the ante regarding the demonic possession, gives you enough backstory to understand why everything is happening, and wraps things up. Thus pushing the idea this is less about making a classic or film meant to be watched dozens of times and more so a horror film to give you your fix as you await something willing to be a bit more unique, gruesome, funny, or any other positive adjective you can come up with.
On The Fence
The Draw Is Far More The Famous Actors Than The Story or Villain
“All Fun and Games” is the type of movie that relies more on facial and name recognition than a strong story or engaging characters. The villain’s backstory might be sad, perhaps even gives you Jason (Friday the 13th) vibes to a point, but it lacks an oomph or a connection to what happens in modern times.
Then, when it comes to our would-be heroes, they are your run-of-the-mill late teens and early adults for the most part. They want to party, one wants to leave their small town, and no one really wants to babysit their little brother.
The combination, alongside kills which are uneventful and a lack of jump scares, make it so, unless you are a fan of this actor or that actor, there isn’t much of a draw here to advertise.
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