Tag - A one-note comedy that could be worse

I'm always a little skeptical of films which say something like 'based on a true story.' However - unbelievably - this happens to be one when at least it is (partly) based on a pursuit that people really did.  We've all played 'tag' when we were children (or 'it' if you were in my gang), but most of us give up 'play' like that when we grow up (or notice the opposite sex - whichever comes first).  But, this film covers one group of male friends in America who don't stop playing (or at least for the month of May every year, right the way through their adult life).

What follows is a bit of a 'screwball' comedy as four of the friends track down the fifth, who has - as yet - still never been tagged in their game, from childhood to present day.  They figure that seeing as he's getting married, this might just be their chance to pounce.  Yes, the 'stakes' are hardly high.  Up against films like 'The Avengers' when the heroes are literally trying to save 50% of the universe, all that matters here is that a man gets 'touched' by a mate once.

It's quite a silly film and it knows it is.  The laughs come from the ensemble cast, which (mainly) includes the pairing of Ed Helms and Jon Hamm.  They have the majority of the screen time and it's them who pretty much carry most of the film as they try to track down the 'untaggable' final member of the group, played by Jeremy Renner.  He has the least to do of the cast, besides thwart their attempts at tagging him via a series of 'set-pieces' of action scenes which would probably look more at home with his 'Hawkeye' persona in 'The Avengers.'

Isla Fisher is in their as Ed Helm's onscreen wife and she's pretty good with just the little time her character is given.  However, the female journalist who is tasked with writing a story on this unusual adult pursuit is used so little I sometimes forgot she was even in the story!

Overall, 'Tag' is good - harmless - fun.  There are plenty of laughs to have and it's a simple story that works because of its cast.  My only two criticisms were that about halfway through the film the comedy seems to rely a little too much on 'slapstick' humour where people seem to take about as much punishment as Tom and Jerry and simply walk away unscathed.  Plus, seeing as this is pretty much a 'one joke' movie, it did go on a little too long.  I checked my watch figuring it was nearly wrapping up (at what I believed was about the ninety minute mark) to find I was only fifty minutes in with a further fifty to go!

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights