Movie Review: Ready or Not (2019)

Summary: A bride’s wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. 

• Samara Weaving as Grace Le Domas. She is an orphan and yearns for a family so she’s eager to please Alex’s family and to become a part. When she finds out that this “game night” is a serious affair, she begins to quickly adapt to what she needs to do in order to survive. She’s not like super competent at everything because she gets hurt, she falls (not while running), she scrambles to live and you really root for her to win. I don’t believe I’ve seen this actress in anything, I actually thought she was someone else, but she’s really likable and a trooper. I think she probably did a lot while filming this and it really comes through on the screen. She’s having fun but she’s completely badass.

• Adam Brody as Daniel Le Domas. I think he’s the oldest son but he’s an alcoholic and probably the one in the family I found the most interesting and layered, followed by Becky. He might come off at the beginning as being just sleazy but that’s just the alcohol talking lol. Throughout the film, we see him go through things that will keep the audience guessing what he’ll do by the end. I like Adam Brody. I’m not super familiar with everything he does but everything I’ve seen him in, I’ve liked him. I think he’s charming and really likable and I’m not sure if his character was meant to come off that way but he does and I really wish that Grace met him first lol, they had really good chemistry lol.

• Mark O’Brien as Alex Le Domas. He is Grace’s husband and completely against the games his family plays. He spends a lot of the movie trying to help Grace, to save her and as it goes on, you learn about his relationship to his other family members. He’s close with his mom and his brother so he goes through a lot of struggle. I find him interesting. The actor does a great job in handling Alex’s trepidation of their tradition while also handling any emotional shifts we see as the film goes on.

The Rest of the Family. 

• Henry Czerny as Tony Le Domas. He really steals a lot of his scenes; his delivery is very much “petulant child” and it works for his character! He’s so deep in this family history that if things aren’t going according to plan, he freaks out. He’s hilarious and also really likable.

• Andie MacDowell as Becky Le Domas. She is Daniel, Emilie and Alex’s mother. She  and Grace connect early on and she talks a lot about not having Alex around anymore and it clearly affects her. But she’s so… nice that’s it’s very weird lol.

• Nicky Guadagni as Helene Le Domas. She is Tony’s sister and she is a trip. In the beginning, we get to see her going through this but it’s interesting to see what she ended up as. She is crazy and I thoroughly loved her. Even her hair was crazy. The actress clearly had fun.

• Melanie Scrofano as Emilie Le Domas-Bradley.  She was hilarious! I think she’s the youngest of the siblings and she’s on drugs lol and the actress CLEARLY is having fun playing the part. She is responsible for some crazy stuff the that happens because she’s just too all over the place. I’ve never seen this actress in anything, but she’s very likable and I really enjoyed her energy.

• Kristian Bruun as Fitch Bradley. He is Emilie’s husband and his game was “Old Maid” and he has a lot of funny bits. Also, quite likable. But he’s really there to not believe in the whole background side of what they’re doing. He’s the naysayer.

• Elyse Levesque as Charity Le Domas. She is Daniel’s wife and the “ice queen”. She has some interesting things that are brought about her background and of course the movie doesn’t go into detail about this because it’s not about her but I found it very interesting that she married into this family and had to play “Chess” but she’s really into this game. She wants to be part of this family more than anything. That’s clear. I’ve seen Elyse in televisions and I’ve never liked any of her characters but I quite enjoyed her here. I think between good character writing and her playing an interesting character, that works in her favor.

Black Comedy/Quite Hilarious. This movie is actually pretty funny but it’s very much a black comedy. People are trying to kill this girl; there’s blood and other people die and it’s not like super gratuitous but you still see stuff. The dialogue is really funny and I think the actors really did well in elevating the script because while the dialogue is funny, their delivery of those moments always helps. Emilie was hilarious because she is the cause for some stuff that happens and it’s so shocking and hilarious. It happens like twice. I cackled. Then the ending was also pretty hilarious.

Refreshing Premise. I liked the idea behind the movie a lot, the idea of marrying into this family where they play a game that could possible kill you. That’s insane! There’s other stuff that happens too that I was like “meh okay” but I think it works in this movie’s world and half the time you’re not even sure if these people are just crazy or if they’re serious. That’s the fun of it to be honest.  Plus, Grace is super competent as well so you’re not annoyed with her the entire movie.

Super Fun! This movie is so fun to watch! I had a good time. Even if you didn’t care for the storyline, I think it’s fun to just sit back and watch. The family dynamic is hilarious, the dialogue is great and the acting is fantastic and if you like violence, it’s here but it’s not “too much”. It fits in the frame of what the film sets up. Plus, I like the feel of the movie, you’re not really sure when it’s set but it feels “old” where Grace feels “other”. I like that aesthetic.

Cons: 

The Story Behind the Story. Obviously, you have the movie with the main stuff going on and there’s this other thing that the family talks about a lot. I think it’s a little ridiculous and at times, it feels out of place with the rest of the movie… at times. When the ending comes around, I cackled. It’s still ridiculous and I do think that part does make the movie feel… I mean it’s already crazy but less in reality? I guess is the best way to say it. You’ll know what I mean when you watch it lol.

Overall, Ready or Not is a really fun adventure to watch! It’s interesting and I really enjoyed myself. The cast is fantastic with Samara Weaving really doing a good job at being emotional, funny and badass all at the same time. You root for her. Adam Brody is also really good and his character is really interesting to watch throughout the film. Everyone else is great too. I think it’s really funny, I laughed a lot or I sat with a smile on my face. I think the premise is pretty different than what we’ve seen from other “horror” movies in the past. I know, I don’t watch a ton of horror but I know about them lol, I can make that assumption! My only problem, that I can at least think of and that I thought while watching the movie, is the whole… other part of the story. It’s funny but I wonder if you took that out, could the movie be the same? I think it could be but it just wouldn’t have that other thing as a reason why the family does this… anyways, check out Ready or Not. I recommend it!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Have you seen Ready or Not? If so, what are your thoughts? What is your favorite black comedy horror film? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Happy Holidays!