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‘Tag’: An absurd and boisterous comedy (IANS Review, Rating: **)
By Troy Ribeiro
Film: “Tag”; Director: Jeff Tomsic; Cast: Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Hannibal Buress, Jake Johnson, Isla Fisher, Annabelle Wallis, Leslie Bibb, Rashida Jones, Nora Dunn, Lil Rey Howery, Thomas Middleditch; Rating: **
Director Jeff Tomsic’s maiden feature film “Tag” is as absurd and bizarre as its incredible premise. Based on a real life story published in Wall Street Journal sometime in 2013, it is the story of grown up men in their forties, who, to keep their friendship alive, have been playing the game of “Tag” since their childhood.
How do they play it? During each May, the participants chase each other no matter where they are – at work, on the streets or in their homes, travelling from city to city, or having to disguise themselves, if need be, to physically catch or tap the opponent. The excitement of the game is what keeps them going.
The five friends are Hogan (Ed Helms) a married Veterinarian, Randy “Chilli” (Jake Johnson) a typical loser who is stoned most of the time, Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm) a top executive in an Insurance firm, Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner) a fitness guru.
Ever since they started playing the game, the group’s main rule is that the last one tagged on the last day of May has to begin the next season. And as per the rules, the narrative begins with Hogan tagging Bob, Kevin and Chilli. And like always Jerry has been the elusive one.
So, the quartet, along with Anna (Isla Fisher), Hogan’s wife, and Rebecca Crosby (Annabelle Wallis), the Wall Street Journal reporter who joins in the game, make it their mission to finally tag their friend Jerry, who has been the champion forever.
Yes, the plot is fluid, silly and outlandish, but at the core of it, the film is about friendship and the comedic aspect of the film comes from the various situational instances. There are a lot of slapstick moments that are astutely handled. But the charm of the humour dies much before it begins as the competitive spirit seems forced and ridiculous.
The script does a good job of mining the dynamics of male friendships, including the oddly believable facts that Renner’s character is so good at the game that they never really got to know him as a person. But there’s only so far one can take this.
The performances are sincere; Hamm and Helms get to stretch their comedic muscles more than before, Johnson does the most with his one-note stoner character and Buress works wonders with his dry delivery and as the fit and agile fitness guru Renner gets his chance to display his Parkour skills.
Among the females, Isla Fisher makes her presence felt as an aggressive, crude and highly competitive wife of Hogan. Rashida Jones as the hot author introduced to ignite a love-triangle is wasted in a poorly written role. And, Annabelle Wallis is perfunctory in a supporting role of a journalist.
Overall, “Tag” is a disorderly and boisterous comedy with some dark impulses which still finds space for sentiment that doesn’t feel totally out of place. The film will appeal to you, only if you like seeing grown-up men behaving like oversized kids.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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