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Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett Bring the Humor and the Horror in Ready or Not

My wedding day was one of the best days of my life. It was also stressful, anxiety-inducing and a whirlwind that I can barely remember—and I was the groom. I can’t imagine what my bride-to-be was going through. Ready or Not taps into these feelings to kickstart a thrill ride that navigates relationship expectations and class standing through the classic lens of “The Most Dangerous Game”. 

Opening 30 years in the past, Ready or Not features a cold open that establishes the premise and the stakes. The movie then jumps to the present on the wedding day of Grace (Weaving) and Alex (Mark O’Brien). Alex’s blood is much bluer than Grace’s. His family is the famed Le Domas gaming dynasty, er, dominion. The grandfather Victor Le Domas built a gaming empire which has served the family well. Grace has many of the usual pre-wedding jitters, mostly concerned with how the family will react to her inclusion. 

Alex’s father, Tony (Henry Czerny), is a bit cold, thinking Grace to be something of a gold digger. His mother, Becky (Andy MacDowell), seems much warmer towards Grace. MacDowell’s southern drawl backs her character‘s sentiment that she was just like Grace, a modest girl from a much different world. But Becky’s backbone is just as stiff as those within the family. The rest of the Le Domas family members fall between false sincerity and pure joy for the couple. Adam Brody’s brother character Daniel is a particularly empathetic connecting point as he sulks and drinks his way through the events of the narrative. Outside of Grace, he’s the other emotional anchor.

After the wedding, Alex informs Grace that they must play a family game. It’s tradition. The family is big on tradition, especially Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni). They do so at midnight. And, as per tradition, the Bride has the fortune of pulling the game they’ll play from something of a trick box. Grace selects her card—a family game of Hide and Seek. But for Grace, the stakes of the game are much higher than normal. If she doesn’t survive until daybreak, her place in the family, and on the earth, will be lost.

Ready or Not falls firmly in the horror-comedy genre. A tense affair with a sardonic wit, the movie follows Grace as she attempts to survive the worst-case in-law scenario. Grace proves herself to be much more resourceful than expected. Weaving brings a lot of humor and empathy into the performance. Her charisma and wit are smile-inducing. She does what the great underdogs do so well, working to get the audience to cheer her on as the night and dangers progress. Weaving has star potential for days and hopefully can land some bigger roles in the wake of Ready or Not. 

Set in a traditional family estate, the kind that instantly comes to mind when you think blue blood, or Clue—complete with secret passages. DP Brett Jutkiewicz utilizes soft lighting to evoke period dramas, reinforcing the idea of tradition that looms over the home and family. Grace races through dim tunnels and dark halls lit by candles and lamps in a very traditional wedding dress and not-so-traditional Chuck Taylors—a clash of styles that again underscores the themes at play. 

Primarily, Ready or Not is a classic game of cat and mouse. The cats, the privileged wealth that are stereotypical of New England populations. The mouse, the middle-class girl threatening the family’s wealth and legacy. For the family, the working class are disposable and replaceable. When tragedy befalls a maid, a sigh and a shrug are the eulogy provided. The cats themselves are inept at killing. These fat cats have rarely worked to gain anything and when the only dangerous game is drawn for Grace, only a handful are capable of even attempting murder, let alone successfully yielding a weapon. 

Additionally, the film serves as an inspection of relationships and marriage. By the finale, I couldn’t help but think of 2019’s other horror movie about relationships, Midsommar. The two would make for quite the double feature. Ready or Not presents a star-crossed couple who possibly have it too good to be true. As Alex struggles with being a black sheep and an odd family inheritance, Grace is simply struggling to be seen as a sincere person with Alex’s best interests at heart. When Alex is taken out of the fold, he proves as inept as the rest of his family. Without moving into spoiler territory, Grace has to stand on her own strength to battle through the bloody night. 

And there is a lot of blood. But, the mass bloodshed is easily matched by the script’s sense of humor. Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy fill their play with sarcasm, gleefully dark humor and a tad bit of camp. Tonally, it succeeds more often than not. And even when it does have a misfire, it builds enough good will to overlook. 

Backed by a mystery-enhancing score from Brian Tyler (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Crazy Rich Asians) and filled with humor, horror, gore and charm, Ready or Not succeeds as a fun 95-minute romp at the theater, and will probably find its way into my own home library for Halloween viewings for years to come. 

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