Marrying someone often means also marrying their pre-existing loved ones — for better or worse. It’s great if your in-laws are wonderful, but can be a real trial if the dislikes outweigh the things you like about them. Or there could just be that one monstrous elephant that’s always in the room when they’re around. In the back of your head, you may wonder if they feel the same way about you… or maybe they haven’t made much of an effort to hide how they really feel. But to keep the peace, you smile politely and go along with their strange family traditions. Unfortunately in Ready or Not, ignoring these signs leads to a potentially fatal wedding night.
Grace (Samara Weaving) grew up without a family so in spite of Alex’s (Mark O’Brien) warnings, she’s still excited to be joining his when they’re married. The wedding day is lovely and most of his family is welcoming. But Alex left out a few details. Since his family owes their fortune to gaming, each time a new member joins, a ritual is conducted and a magic box selects a game for them to play. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Grace, she picks the most dangerous game in the Le Domas household. Now, still in her wedding gown, she must hide from her weapon-wielding in-laws, and try to outwit and outlive them.
The story’s dark elements consume it from every perspective, but there’s an unexpected humour woven throughout the narrative that’s both genuine and funny. From Alex’s aunt constantly giving Grace the dirtiest looks to his coke-addled cousin (Melanie Scrofano) pouncing on Grace to declare they will be best friends to repeated mishaps with antique weaponry. Their commitment to upholding this archaic and lethal tradition is steeped in superstition that is supposedly supported by the consequences of other households failing to complete the task by dawn. No one will say what the fates of the other families were exactly, but it’s apparently too terrible to even think about it… which is part of the reason why it sounds so phoney.
Obviously, this isn’t the best functioning family as falling in love means having to potentially kill that person should the ritual demand it. Therefore, there are plenty of cold shoulders, several addictions and a general us-against-them sentiment that courses through everyone’s veins. To that point, the ensemble cast is excellent. They each fit their roles perfectly, both before and after the fateful decision is made. They draw audiences into the picture and keep from alienating them for the length of the film.
This is a movie that could definitely be pulled out for repeat entertainment thanks to a couple of key performances and some inherently hilarious scenes.
READY OR NOT pic.twitter.com/Hqv81UlC6z
— Ready or Not (@Readyornotfilm) August 22, 2019
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody and Mark O’Brien
