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Funny Games U.S.
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Funny Games U.S. (2007) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) Videos (see all 15)
Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- Clip: She's not that old
Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- Interview: Naomi Watts "On the plot"
Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- Trailer 1

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   18,410 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 15% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Michael Haneke
Writer:
Michael Haneke (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Funny Games on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 March 2008 (Greece) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
Shall we begin? more
Plot:
Two psychotic young men take a family hostage in their cabin. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(56 articles)
The 2009 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Results
 (From Fangoria. 25 June 2009, 2:33 PM, PDT)

Cannes Winners Announced
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 May 2009, 2:40 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Why? more

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Funny Games (USA)
Funny Games U.S. (France)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for terror, violence and some language.
Runtime:
111 min
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film is a shot-by-shot remake of the original. more
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Throughout the movie Paul calls Peter "Tom", and Peter calls Paul "Jerry". These are references to the Tom & Jerry cartoons. They also refer to each other as 'Beavis' and 'Butthead', another cartoon reference. more
Quotes:
Peter: [to Anne] Would you be so kind as to go and make us something to eat? more
Movie Connections:
References "Let's Make a Deal" (1963) more
Soundtrack:
All To Myself more

FAQ

A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What is the song in the trailer?
more
196 out of 333 people found the following comment useful:-
Why?, 23 October 2007
6/10
Author: Axel-9 from London, England

When I heard Michael Haneke was re-making Funny Games in America I wondered why: what purpose could it possibly serve? The set-up to both versions is simple in that a bourgeois family is subjected to a torturous ordeal by a couple of ever so polite psychopaths. Moreover, like the original the re-make is a cruel exercise in exposing our fascination with the violence depicted in the media - the "our" specifically meaning the middle classes, comfortable in our existences and oblivious to the horrors of the world.

However, Haneke is on record as saying that he always considered Funny Games to be an "American story", as he regarded the use of violence as a form of entertainment to be a specifically American phenomenon. No matter that this is a bit of a flawed viewpoint: having the aggressors seem straight out of the O.C. gives the impact of their sadistic actions an even more discomfiting air. Michael Pitt (charismatic and barbarous) and Brady Corbett (seemingly dopey but utterly vicious) are both excellent, but their performances leave one feeling a bit um "seen it all before".

Which takes me back to my first thought: what is the point? Cosmetics aside this is exactly the same film, right down to the assumption that the well to do like to listen to classical music and that the audience may be unsettled by playing them some thrash metal. Haneke even has Pitt address the camera and manipulate the film, so re-using the trick about playing with reality and focusing the viewer on what actually counts as real. It is just that this playing around does not carry the impact it did 10 years ago.

In fact, due to the unconventional nature of the film and the vast disparity it offers with reality it's hard to care much at all. Yes what happens is horrible, but it does not feel at all real. I'm waiting for someone to point out that, that is Haneke's point, but frankly, I don't care. No amount of intellectualising can make this watchable.

You would think Haneke would know better too. His most recent film Hidden took a genre film and flipped it about to deliver one of the most surprising and intellectually challenging thrillers of the decade. By stringing the audience along and offering some sense of catharsis and understanding of character motivation he offered a way in. Funny Games U.S. offers no such intrigue or tension and is ultimately a big step backward. He may see it as an American story, but it worked better as a small Austrian film, set in anywheres-ville Europe.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Funny Games U.S. (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I get the point but I still hated it (Spoilers) p.greenwood
Movie title question.. simplyohkay
Anyone else find this film hilarious? Synerr
Why the rewind scene is critical to the film charles_highway-1
The BEST movie of all times leoan
Weak Parental Reaction (spoilers) tourist10
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