Funny Games (2008)

Michael Haneke, the director of such films as The Piano Teacher and Cache, remakes his original Funny Games for American audiences. This time, Naomi Watts and Tim Roth star as the hapless couple who go on a summer vacation to their lake house with their young son. Things couldn’t be going better as they settle in to enjoy their upscale vacation--that is, until an exceedingly polite young man, all fashionably dressed in white, shows up at the door and asks if Anna could give him some eggs. Anna (Watts), having seen him with their neighbors just a while ago, sees no harm in giving him some eggs--which he promptly breaks by dropping on the floor, creating an awkward situation for Anna.

And so begins the funny game--which is not so funny for Anna, George (Roth) and their son, who are all taken hostage by two charming young psychopaths, who are still very urbane and well-manned, even when they coldly make a bet with their hostages that they--the entire family--will all be dead by the next morning, just twelve hours from now. The set up is chilling; one of the big fears of many people is the home invasion, and the fact that these psychos manage to charm their way inside is even more insidious. But Haneke isn’t interested in merely recreating a Hitchcockian thriller, here. From the moment that Paul, the lead psycho, begins to share knowing glances with the camera--with us, the viewer-- Haneke tips his hand that he's after something other than just telling a simple suspense story.

And as the poor family’s torturous evening progresses, Paul even speaks directly to the camera, asking us at one point who we’re rooting for. As if shattering the fourth wall wasn’t enough for Haneke, there’s a startling moment, in the film’s last third, where events are changed by a character using the TV/DVD remote. It becomes very clear that Haneke is mostly interested in trying to make a statement about violence in films, and the media, in general. And he’s merely using this story--which is initially very well done, and superbly acted by all involved--as a way to jerk the viewer around. "Are you truly rooting for this helpless family?" Haneke appears to ask. "Are you rooting enough for them to defend themselves against these sadistic sons of bitches? Well, shame on you!"

It appears to be Haneke’s view that all violence is reprehensible--including violence used in self defense against a pair of psychopaths, apparently. This is a somewhat ivory tower view of the world that I think is very unrealistic, but Haneke is entitled to this opinion. What I really object to is how Funny Games is set up like a psychological experiment, which uses the viewer as a lab rat. No matter how you slice it, an innocent family being slowly and gleefully victimized by a pair of monsters is a terrible thing to see--and, because of this, the Funny Games remake (like the original film) is overtly sadistic, and is not an easy movie to watch. Hostel 2 was bad for pretty much the same reasons, but at least it didn't subject a minor to its horrors. If you’ve seen the original Funny Games, and hated it, then you’ll already know enough to avoid this film (which is basically one of these annoying shot-by-shot remakes, to boot). For those who haven’t seen Funny Games, and who are looking for a good thriller, please don’t subject yourself to this. Go rent a Hitchcock classic instead. --SF

Main Review Page | Email Me | On DVD Right Here