George has a bad habit of trying to figure out the story and get all the answers as quickly as he can. It was kind of gratifying to see him finally forced to just let the movie tell its story. Good reaction to a crazy film.

The impression this movie always gave me was that this wasnt about teaching him to be better, it was about breaking the hold his father's death had over him. His brother was afraid that one day Nicholas would end things the same way their father had, saw him headed down that path, and the point of the game was to for Nicholas to experience commiting the act "safely" and come out of it realizing that its no real answer and valuing his life more. Doesn't make the events themselves make more sense, but that, I believe, was the point.

This movie is the epitome of "it's just a prank bro"

The idea with his dad is to let Michael Douglas' character feel the despair his dad did and thus identify with and forgive him. Not sure how logical that is but best I can see of what the game was going for.

Between paying for a "lose everything" simulator or buying a trip on a sketchy submarine, this probably works out as a better billionaire vacation.

In the late 90's, my mom and I rented five movies to watch over the weekend. We got through four of them by Sunday night, and wouldn't have time to watch our last one, "The Game". We thought it would be a waste of money if we didn't watch any of it. So, we told ourselves we'd watch 15 minutes, then go to bed. An hour and a half later, we were on the edge of our seats, completely engrossed. Besides being a fantastic film, it's such a good memory of my mom and I, and it's been one of my favorites ever since.

This movie blew me away when it first came out. Such a great film. Made me fall in love with Fincher and the cinematographers he used.

Fun little fact, the man portraying Michael Douglas’ father in the old footage is Charles Martinet, voice of Mario!

The Game started the moment Conrad sat down, and the point was to teach Nicholas to appreciate life and stop him from following his father off the roof.

Ultimately what he got out of the game was through having everything taken away from him, he realized what mattered most to him: family, his brother when he realized he wasnt dead and his ex-wife when he realized how he had treated her. Also, this is one of those movies you wish you could forget, so you can experience seeing it for the first time again!

This is one of those movies that is great the 1st watch and just gets better with each watch after that.

"What's a-r-g?" "It's what pirates say." The joke was RIGHT THERE!!!

If someone already mentioned this, my apologies. Jodie Foster was the first choice for the sibling played eventually by Sean Penn.

The coffin scene is symbolic. Revolving around issues he had with his father and his father’s death, and the way he died as well.

The movie is a version of A Christmas Carol. Nicholas is Scrooge and, in a sense, haunted by the ghost of his father. He gets shown how his life could go, if he doesn't change his ways (ending up in a grave, the same way as his dad). He is pushed down as far as CRS can take it, and the Game does exactly what Nicholas is told at the start (which seems to usually be missed by most people who don't like the movie). There is one point where the Game is threatened; when Nicholas calls his lawyer and is told that his money is still available. Christine has to improvise her line that Sutherland is part of CRS and the Game, even though he's the only one who isn't.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1963">32:43</a> I like the inclusion of this sign. It implies that they had a 21-minute window in which they expected "the guest of honor" to fall through the ceiling. It's astonishing that they were dealing with such uncertainty throughout the Game, and yet it's also mind-boggling how narrow a window that actually is.

I feel like Falling Down, War of the Roses, and Wall Street should be on your list.

This movie definitely dials up the level of suspension of disbelief that’s required but it’s so good. Almost feels like a twisted take on A Christmas Carol in some aspects

WHOA! The hotel desk clerk is Daniel-san's nemesis from the Karate Kid II in Okinawa!

This is still my favorite Fincher movie to date and one of the few film scores i ever actually bought and still listen to, to this day. the sparseness and ambient quality became a big influence in my own music. speaking of LOTR, you wouldn't imagine it's the same composer.. just goes to show how versatile Howard Shore really is.

First time I saw the opening for Succession all I could think about was how similar it was to the opening of this movie

Making sense isn't a prerequisite for a great movie. Fincher achieves something otherworldly and pushes suspension of disbelief to the breaking point in service of a fine character study.

Haha speaking of smashed burgers and Michael Douglas... A nice callback to one of his other movies Falling Down. A fantastic but quite tragic movie.

Man I loved this movie. Not many people really remember it or liked it whenever I talk about it, but I think its fantastic.

Tagline of this movie was "What do you get for the man who has everything." So, they took EVERYTHING from him. I think the message was clear.

There's a British illusionist named Derren Brown who does this stuff to people. He once staged it so a guy thought he committed a murder. There's another one where he stages a zombie apocalypse. Stuff like that. He also does fun stuff too--my favorite was when he trained a group of senior citizens to commit an art heist. Anyway, he's basically able to get away with it because people will willingly sign up to be part of a Derren Brown show, but he has them do it several months in advance. So essentially once you've been able to convince yourself that you didn't get selected is when you get selected...whether you know it or not.

The point was that when he lost all material possessions, he still kept going but when he lost his brother he had no more reasons to live so it made him realize the importance of human connection and that his priorities in life were messed up, that’s why he was seriously considering going with claire at the end

So glad you guys have made it to this one. I've been waiting for years, it's one of my favorites

The music/score of this movie is next level!

So stoked you guys watched this! This is one of my favorite twist-and-turns movie of all time.

I love this movie. A fantasy about the transformative power of play.

This is one of my favourite films, so I've been looking forward to this reaction! "A game is a structured type of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool." The 'game' in this movie essentially deconstructs Nicholas' life completely; his control over things, his money, his home, his business, everything he deems important even though he lives a very empty existence with no partner and seemingly little in the way of close friendships or family relationships. And only by losing all those things does he get the clarity to recognise what really is important, and to realise that there are people who care for him even though his behaviour towards them has always been strained.

this is one of my most favorite movies. I think you missed the guy that crossed paths with Mr Van Orton placed the hotel key on his pocket. this movie should come with a warning: "don't talk". Every line had a clue or a misleading statement. The driver of the taxi was the guy helping Maximus on the movie Gladiator

its so interesting that the 90's have a pure gold age of thrillers that even today are amazing.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2042">34:02</a>: "Wheel of Morality, turn, turn, turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn." lol

This was the first proper mind fuck of a movie I ever saw. Went to see it in theaters with my grandmother when I was like, 15. We loved reading mystery novels and stuff together. I've loved everything Fincher has made since.

I remember watching it in cinema back in the day. How tense I was during the last minutes. What an ending. Douglas is great as usual. But I'm not a fan of Penn usually. But he's really good in this one. If you want to watch another Michael Douglas movie, then I'd strongly recommend "Falling Down" from 1993. What a ride! Btw the intro here inspired the intro to the hit show "Succession" on HBO. At times an almost frame-to-frame copy.

this movie i feel like was a big inspiration for Saw. putting people in a fight for your life game, creepy green lighting, and especially the clown puppet is like the saw puppet

Very underrated film,love it👍

The constant piano notes reminds me of playing LA Noire

This one is my all time favorite.. I always saw all this as a shock to the system..or like catharsis.. basically if he hadn't been forced to participate in life that he would still be sitting in his study slowly dying inside.. ..I'd do this in a second.

As my friend said as we walked out of the theater after watching this movie, "It's a good movie as long as you don't spend any amount of time thinking about it afterward." I have always agreed. Taken as-is it's a great, fun movie. But it does break down very easily if you think about it too much .

This film is definitely underrated. It has the misfortune to be sandwiched in between two David Fincher masterpieces Se7en and Fight Club

This was basically replicated in the early days of internet and cell phones with a game called Majestic. You'd get random phone calls, instant messages, faxes, and emails giving you clues. It was kind of creepy at the time.

One word: CATHARSIS. This is what this movie is about. BTW I've watched this movie like a trillion times and always enjoy it. I think this is a cinematic piece of art.

I have so many friends that adore this movie, and it is really good. Falling Down is probably my favorite Michael Douglas Role , and Robert Duvall for that matter. Romancing The Stone is also great:)

Emerging from the coffin is very symbolic. Also, notice how he was wearing a white suit. Rebirth

This reveal at the end blew my mind, the first time I watched this back in the day. Also great shirt George

Yeah, I agree the story works best when taken as a sort of modern-day fable, almost like a really noir-ish "Christmas Carol." The details are meant to be enjoyed rather than analyzed, and the overall vibe and effect is more important than the mechanics of how it happens. :)

A gf of mine worked for Hotel Nikko in S.F. (c. 1990) and when this movie came out and the phone number was mentioned, I remembered the last 4 digits were indeed 1111. This movie, as it did for many viewers, hit me profoundly. I couldn't recommend it enough.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="52">0:52</a> despite not being a native speaker, I can certainly say it can’t be a verb, as indicated by “the” in the title. The doesn’t pair with verbs

Yay! Excited for this one!

"The Game" really was the kind of movie one enjoys more by simply letting go, by going along with its logic, as illogical as it gets the further down the spiral it goes. If a movie is well-made, it will make you forget that it's a movie and David Fincher's films have been good at this despite the fantastical elements like the exaggerated camera motions and angles. It just totally immerses the viewer in the protagonist's experience. It isn't that Michael Douglas's character is wealthy but that he's actually smart. He has to be. For some people, therapy as we understand it won't help if the person has this intellectual fortress that's near impenetrable. They're tougher to get through because they're even capable of manipulating people into believing, at least half-heartedly, that they're stable. But the brother wasn't going to accept that, and needed to avert the disaster he felt was eminent.

*BASIC INSTINCT* starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. The CineBinge guys would love it. 👍

"I got that reference" about meeting the wizard in The Wizard of Oz at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1801">30:01</a> is a reference to Captain America's "I understood that reference" about the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. It's all connected.

The best part about it is that once you become paranoid, things that aren't part of The Game seem like they ARE part of the game. The woman picking up the baby rattle at the airport for instance. I really liked it and bought almost all of it. If you had enough money, you could cover all the contingencies. The only part that shattered my suspension of disbelief was the jump off the roof. How do you get him to step off at just the right position, and you can see a huge lattice of I-Beams in the skylight and I just couldn't buy that he would fall exactly between them. Other than that, pretty convincing.

This film has been in my top 5 ever since I first watched it. So good!

I always felt the purpose of the game was to teach the player what is truly important. All Nicholas cared about was work neglecting family, friends and anything fun. The game taught him that family and friends were more important and that he needs to actually live his life.

This is my favorite "just roll with it" movie. LOL

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1747">29:07</a> the late James Rebhorn lived in South Orange, New Jersey in the town my college was in; he did a little PSA thing as himself on our school's TV channel, talking about enjoying the freedom how to make the best of it. That was 20 years ago. Because I saw him in some many movies I couldn't tell if he was being himself or still playing a character.

There are SO many logic gaps in this movie. But I approach it like Tenet (which I know confuses the heck out of everyone) Like the scientist at the beginning says - 'Don't try to understand it. Feel it.'

I believe it was Socrates that first said, "There ain't no party like a David Fincher party cuz a David Fincher party's fucked up".

George saying that 555-1111 was the most movie phone number ever made me really laugh. I lived in a small town in Pennsylvania before you had to dial area codes for every call (even local ones) and all the phone numbers in town were in the 444-XXXX format, so you'd ask a person their number and they would just tell you the last four digits all the time, non locals were always very confused. The best part was that the local pizza place was 444-1111 so no matter what state you were in you could always remember the number to order a pizza, maybe the only pizza joint in a town of less than 5000 people that stayed open all night, I'm convinced it was because everyone knew the number .😊

Mosta the guests at his bday party weren’t in on it. They simply received invitations made by CRS on his behalf and showed up. The only close person in his life who was part of it was his brother.

Fincher sure can set a mood.

Much lower scale, but made me think of years ago, a firend, on my birthday took me to an NFL game.. not my fave team, but his and local, so OK. It was rainy, wet and cold, and he kept saying afterwards we should go back to my house, well, my mom's. I kept saying, Oh, I'll be fine, but he kept insisting. So we get there, and there are a lot of cars parked on the street, more than usual. I remember walking up to the door noticing one, "huh, that looks like my boss'"... SURPRISE PARTY! I remember my mom looking at me saying, "I know you hate surprises, but I just wanted to do this". And I love her for it.... but also, afterwards, I was like "Wow, they really pulled this off... and most of my friends are really good at lying to me to make this happen."

This is such a great film, and like all of Finch's work rewards multiple viewings. And it looks so good ! Check out Max Headroom for the reference to the TV guy.

Basically, "We love you, but you're an asshole, and that needs to change." I've watched this a few times, but it only just now hit me -- this is set in San Francisco, and Michael Douglas got his first big break co-starring with Karl Malden on the TV police show The Streets of San Francisco.

I saw this in the theater and loved it.

Hope you two are having an great and awesome day ❤

This is one of my favorite movies, it's such a great example of, "If you think about it for more then 5-10 sconds the movie falls apart, but you dont' care, because it's so good."

CRIMINALLY underrated film! 🔥😅 And I was guilty, having taken SO LONG to watch it

Ok admit it, how many people have just lost? (Nice niche circa 2010s reference for you)

Its wild George mentioned Squid Games during a Fincher movie because he's apparently making an english version of the show

I love this film, just the creepy mystery of it is one of my favorite parts! Thanks for the review.

I’m SO GLAD the two of you would be upset. I have been told for years that I was crazy for not seeing things the way this guy did. 😂

Best parts , to me, George connects this movie back to "Independence Day", and Simone saying, "The moral of the story is...don't trust anyone, ever." Exactly what I said too, btw. GREAT reaction!

A great, underrated and under seen movie. I think it's one of Michael Douglas' and Fincher's best

A very underrated movie, and one of my favorite Fincher films.

The Game: A Christmas Carol for the 90s. Check out "Seconds" 1966. A sister film to this, it feels like a Twilight Zone homage.

"Total Recall" (1990), from a Philip K. Dick story, has a similar premise, where the main character pays for a "fantasy trip" that is made up but feels real, and at times he wonders if something he sees is real or is just part of the "arrangement."

One of the best movies I ever seen. Other great movies by Michael Douglas movies are Disclosure , Perfect Murder and Don't Say A Word.

Ultimate line up right here: Falling Down (1993) Carlito's Way (1993) Casino (1995) Honorable Mention: Me, Myself and Irene (2000)

I always take this as a silly popcorn entertainment movie that Fincher treated with such respect and panache that its just so much better than it has any right to be, so people can be put off by the ending. But if you just go along for the ride and have fun you can also appreciate the exquisite film making along the way.

This is one of my favorite films of all time... Of course the same could be true for Perfume the story of a murderer

A classic! I still have this vhs tape.

Watched this great bizarre film in 1997 with my mate. Starting to feel old with all these reactions on KZfaq ♥️

Things got a bit strange when I quit drinking. I went to get a prescription filled at a supermarket pharmacy, which was screened off from the main shop floor. As I waited I could hear customers singing a Christmas song (it was June) but when I went to look, everybody was just shopping as normal. Hmm. Back in the pharmacy I heard the singing again, like the whole shop was a choir. Had a look.. normal shopping?! I tried to catch them in the act by jumping out.. normal shopping! Looked for hidden cameras in the pharmacy but didn’t find any, jumped out.. normal shopping??!! I was just about to run away when the pharmacist returned with my script and I left through a perfectly normal supermarket. I have always assumed I was hallucinating but maybe it was… The Game!

One if my favorite movies!!! The 90s had some AWESOME "twist" movies!! LETS GOOOOO!! 💪😎💪

Like the touch of adding Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” for ending credits. Dude goes down a badass rabbit hole.🐰👍

Always love Simone’s floofs guest appearances

This movie is loosely based on a 1988 British TV mini-series called "The One Game", which is worth a look if you can find such an obscure edition.

perfect gift for someone who has everything

Plot twists aside, this movie has always had this unique atmosphere and feel that is very difficult to pinpoint, but chances are, you know what I mean.

I love this movie. Watch it anytime I see it on.

I almost forgot about this movie. I loved it as a teenager growing up.

Yes, puzzle is a game. It's a brain game, like Sudoku or Mahjong.

Fincher has said that he's not exactly thrilled with this film, and that's too bad. He created an intricate puzzle of a movie here, with details foreshadowing details, to the point where several viewings will only get you a few levels in. There's a lot of allegory here, as well. You already picked up on the theme of resurrection. Do you think the name "Christine" is random? Are the initials C_R_S_ (go on, fill in the blanks...)? Again, lots of intricate details here, which befits a craftsman of Fincher's caliber. It's underrated, even by its own director.

I loved this movie ever since I watched it as a kid. It's just a non stop "This is just the game... Wait is it still the game? Yeah of course it's just the game! I think..." I also think that most people wouldn't get this extreme "game" treatment, it was just that he was living such an extreme wealthy and closed off life. A whole lifetime of someone building new "protection layers" so they would never feel hurt again. This is a "life changing" game, where they use all those test to figure out what it would take for someone to have an epiphany. We're just being exposed to the most insane game they ever had to create for someone. For most of us it wouldn't take that much to change our outlook on life. I mean, for some of us a quote is mind blowing, for others a TED talk can be life changing. But when you are both so rich while also being so closed off, it would take something truly extreme.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1960">32:40</a> Simone is so mad.. I totally get it but it's also cathartic and darkly hilarious To watch her like try and be cool.Even thoushe clearly finds it emotionally disturbing and You know I appreciate her going through this experience for us to Piggyback and empathize with because I think that's how it makes a lot of us feel... I hope she reaches the same conclusion, which is that he gave up everything at that moment. So everything was a blessing After that... We love you Simone, Trying not to focus on the negative it's just a movie...