Tag Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Think

Movies being based on true stories are hardly infrequent in Hollywood, but every now and then a movie comes along where you wonder "Wait, something like this actually happened in real life?!" Tag is such an example, with the comedy starring Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Hannibal Buress and Isla Fisher, among others, following a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag for 30 years. Finally hitting theaters nationwide tomorrow, the first Tag reviews have started pouring in. Starting off, CinemaBlend's own Mike Reyes gave Tag three out of five stars in his review, saying that although the movie was uneven, the cast "injects a huge shot of life" into the proceedings.

Despite its messy execution, Tag is still full of slick performances and a streak of impish glee running through its various set pieces, which draws its failings in even sharper contrast than a more middling film of its ilk.

Richard Roeper from The Chicago Sun-Times wasn't nearly as kind to Tag, giving the movie only 1.5 stars out of five and declaring that the real life story about these tag enthusiasts was way too thin a premise to make for an entertaining movie.

We're not even halfway through 2018, but when it comes time to compile my list of the worst movies of the year, I have a strong sense there will be a moment when I'll be saying to Tag: you're it.

Moving back to more positive territory, The A.V. Club's A.A. Dowd gave Tag a B-, commending the performances, even if the content itself wasn't exceptional.

There's something mildly depressing about viewing petty gamesmanship as the engine that fuels and sustains male friendship. But funny is funny, and Tag gets by, appropriately enough, on the personalities of its stars...

Variety's Peter Debruge was also nicer to Tag, saying that while the movie certainly gets ridiculous at times, it deliveries a surprisingly "poignant" statement on friendship.

Tag leaves audiences energized and, dare I say, inspired, having delivered all that outrageousness... in service of what ultimately amounts to a sincere celebration of lasting human connections.

Jon Frosch from The Hollywood Reporter felt directly in the middle with Tag, noting that there are "worse ways to kill a couple of hours," but that the movie has problems with dialogue and maintaining momentum (though he mused that if might have worked better as a "really good, twisted psychological thriller").

Tag is neither bad nor good, but rather, despite its out-there story, almost numbingly ordinary: an easy, breezy action-com that's sometimes amusing but rarely funny, competent rather than inspired.

Finally, IGN's Simon Thompson awarded Tag an 8 out of 10 score, admitting that while some of the tag action sequences lost their impact because they were shown in the trailer(s), the movie's script is still on point.

Tag isn't a comedy classic but it's certainly entertaining and delivers what it promises along with a few welcome surprises. As a whole, it's never anything less than entertaining with some nicely twisted touches.

There are just a sampling of the Tag reviews now available, but overall, it sounds like the movie rests solidly in mixed reception territory. You can judge Tag for yourself when it runs into theaters tomorrow, though many of you will likely be able to catch it tonight in preview screenings. For all the latest in movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend, and don't forget to look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what cinematic offerings arrive later this year.