JASON BATEMAN IN "GAME NIGHT"

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WARNER BROS. PICTURES

JASON BATEMAN, THE UNDISPUTED MASTER OF “GAME NIGHT”

Max owns game night. Pick the contest, set the timer and watch him roll. It’s what made him irresistible to Annie the night fate brought them together: two razor-sharp players joining forces to wipe out a bar full of trivia hopefuls who didn’t know the meaning of the word cutthroat. Now married, they host a regular couples’ night to hang with their like-minded friends, break out the scorecards and have some fun.

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Comedy actor Jason Bateman (Zootopia, Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief) stars as Max in New Line Cinema's Game Night.

In Game Night, Bateman and Rachel McAdams play Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks, arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So, when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game…right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this “game”—nor Brooks—are what they seem to be.

“It’s a real popcorn movie,” states Bateman, who also served as a producer on the film. “There’s a lot of action and nighttime intrigue and, of course, you’ve got the comedy all the way through which makes it fun. There’s even a little romance.”

Addressing the relatability of an evening that starts with promise and then goes horribly, hilariously off the rails, he concedes, “I’m sure I’ve had my fair share of nights that have gone south. And I think all of us have had some experience getting together with friends and playing games. But it’s the escalation that happens here, when it gets out of the house and into the streets, that kicks everything up to another level.”

Bateman’s producing partner, James Garavente, recalls their reaction to the initial pitch. “We loved the cool concept; it really grabbed us. We knew the script was funny, and we felt it should be grounded and not look overtly like a comedy, so the question was only how to get this great mix. What directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein did, which was genius, was take it a step further with all these thriller tropes, and camera movements that heighten a sense of action and danger.”

Game Night is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

JASON BATEMAN IN “OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY”

JASON BATEMAN, THE DESIGNATED ADULT IN ROWDY “OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY”

Attaining leading-man status in Hollywood in front of and behind the camera through such films as Zootopia, Identity Thief, The Switch and Horrible Bosses, Jason Bateman now stars in Paramount Pictures' holiday comedy Office Christmas Party.

Photo credit: UIP/Columbia Pictures

Morale is at an all-time low at Zenotek’s Chicago office after their pragmatic Interim CEO, Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston) announces plans to shut down their underperforming branch days before Christmas. Realizing no mere Holiday party can lift the spirits of his employees, eccentric branch president (and Carol’s kid brother) Clay Vanstone (T.J. Miller) enlists the help of Chief Technical Officer Josh (Bateman), and Lead Systems Engineer Tracey (Olivia Munn) to make their own Christmas miracle by throwing an epic, unforgettably over-the-top Christmas party to win over a high profile client (Courtney B. Vance) and save everyone’s jobs.

When assembling the all-star cast of disgruntled office workers, Jason Bateman provided the first piece of the puzzle in the role of Josh, the office’s designated adult.

“Jason’s at his best when he’s at the center of outrageousness and he can react to what’s going on. It’s a skill very few actors have,” says director Will Speck. “Jason hits that sweet spot of having a grounded sense of comedy but isn’t afraid to look ridiculous,” adds director Josh Gordon.

Bateman and Aniston were Speck and Gordon’s first choice for their respective roles, having worked with both previously on 2010’s The Switch. Office Christmas Party marks Aniston’s fifth collaboration with Bateman and second with Speck and Gordon.

“Jen and Jason are very close friends,” says producer Scott Stuber. “They spend a lot of time together on and off camera, which results in their great chemistry. The relaxed, fluidity of their performance style really sets the tone for the whole cast.”

Opening across the Philippines on Dec. 07, Office Christmas Party is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

JASON BATEMAN STARS IN “HORRIBLE BOSSES 2,” “THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU”

Release material

Golden Globe Award-winner Jason Bateman (TV's “Arrested Development,” “Hancock”) headlines two consecutive comedies from Warner Bros. Pictures: the laugh-out-loud “Horrible Bosses 2” and the inspiring “This is Where I Leave You.”

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

In “Horrible Bosses 2,” everyone's favorite working stiffs Nick (Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) rally with an original invention and another run at the American dream. But a slick investor (Christoph Waltz) soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son (Chris Pine) and ransom him to regain control of their company.

Of the three leads, Bateman had arguably the toughest assignment just because, as Nick, he had to keep the smile off his face most of the time — a tall order in this company. “His timing is masterful,” sayss producer Chris Bender. “He knows exactly when to deliver a cutting line or a look that takes the other guys out at the knees for being such boneheads.”

But for all of Nick’s assumptions that he’s in charge and he’s the smart one and the voice of reason, and for all the valid points he does occasionally raise about the pitfalls of what they’re about to do, the fact remains that he always ends up going along with the plan.

Bateman notes, “My job as Nick is to be as close as possible to a representative for the audience, and to react to the absurdity in these scenarios in enough of a realistic way so they don’t think it’s too goofy. But honestly, most people are a lot brighter than these three; most people wouldn’t think that killing their bosses or kidnapping their business partner is the right thing to do, or has the slightest chance of working out well. But if they were smart, this would be a drama.”

Meanwhile, Bateman's other film “This is Where I Leave You” deals his character a series of gut punches in rapid succession. He plays Judd Altman, a presumably happily married and successfully employed radio producer with a comfortable and tastefully furnished New York City apartment. He comes home one day to find his perfect wife in bed with his perfectly loathsome boss, and is rendered loveless, jobless and homeless in one lightning bolt of misery. His resulting downward spiral is only interrupted, days later, by the news that his father has passed away. Still shell-shocked, Judd is summoned back to his childhood home to reconnect with his three contentious adult siblings and their unapologetically outspoken mother, who insists they all spend the next seven days together—and won’t take no for an answer. On its surface, perhaps, not the likeliest scenario for a laugh-out-loud experience and yet, wherever there are momentous, life-altering events, there is family. And where there is family, well…

“It’s a breeding ground for dysfunction,” offers Bateman. “You have people who are very passionate about their positions, be they practical or emotional or ethical, and there’s all that shared history with its resentments and unresolved issues. So it’s not difficult to find these characters in a situation where their dignity starts to unravel and their vulnerability is at such a place where they do and say things that are heartwarmingly hilarious to witness.”

Considering all that Judd has already endured, this sounds like the last thing in the world he needs but, in fact, may be exactly what he needs most. Because sometimes you have to go home to find out where you got lost.

There’s a lot going on in “This is Where I Leave You,” but the narrative thread begins and ends with Judd. “He’s a fairly happy guy,” Bateman says of his character just before the bottom drops out of everything. “He produces a popular radio show, and even though he’d really rather be doing something else, he puts up with it because it allows him this perfect life he’d mapped out for himself. Judd doesn’t have a huge tolerance for complications and spontaneity. And then things start to go sideways—his marriage falls apart, there’s a death in the family—and it knocks him off balance.”

Author Jonathan Tropper whose novel the film is adapted from, conceived of Judd as a man always on the straight and narrow. “He plays it safe so everything will work out the way he’s planned. But when he’s plunged into a state of crisis, Judd starts to feel that all the assumptions he had growing up, and on which he based his entire life, may have been faulty, and maybe he should have been less determined to control the outcome and more invested in discovering his true self.”

“Jason’s performance is a microcosm of the film’s tone as he pivots in the same second from funny to touching,” adds director Shawn Levy.

Concludes Bateman, “Judd’s journey is to figure out if he’s pointed in the right direction, and try to get a clue, or two or three, which he receives through some of the circumstances he goes through and some of the people he interacts with in the film—most of whom are going through much the same exercise.”

Inner photo from Horrible Bosses 2 and main photo from This Is Were I Leave You. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Jason Bateman Chases The Identity Thief

Jason Bateman was left black and blue while shooting wrestling scenes with Melissa McCarthy in his new comedy 'Identity Thief'.

 

Jason Bateman during Identity Thief premiere

Jason Bateman was given "a couple of bloody noses" by Melissa McCarthy filming 'Identity Theft'. The actress didn't hold back during fighting scenes for the new comedy and Jason admits things got pretty painful during some scenes. He said: "She looks so sweet then she'll punch you in the throat. All of that tussling and wrestling was painful at times. I paid the bill with a couple of bloody noses. She hit me with a right hook, then a left, then grabbed her camera to take a photo of it." Jason knew he wanted to work with Melissa right from when he saw her in 'Bridesmaids', especially after he how far she was prepared to go for her roles.

What was it about IDENTITY THIEF that made you want to star in the movie and also produce it?

IDENTITY THIEF was a script that came my way. It had an easy concept about someone who steals another person’s identity and it also involved a road trip. It was like two of my favorite movies, MIDNIGHT RUN and PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES put together.

Did you bring this project to filmmaker Seth Gordon?

Seth and I were in London working on the press tour for HORRIBLE BOSSES. I just talked him through it, as the project was in the beginning stages and looked like it could become a reality. He was excited about the concept. When I told him I had Melissa McCarthy in mind for the other main role, he said, “OK, I get it!”

What made Melissa McCarthy the right choice to play the thief that steals your character’s identity?

Melissa is one of the funniest people I know and she was open to playing the part.

What is Seth Gordon like as a director?

Seth is a very nice man that runs a very kind shoot. We were lucky he agreed to do this because he knows how to set a great tone. He is incredibly talented, but the greatest thing about Seth Gordon is that he is just a good guy. You want good people on a comedy set. He is a great leader in that sense.

How important is it in the comedy genre to be able to work on a fun set?

You can’t have a bunch of bad or nasty people on a comedy set and expect them to do anything that’s funny. You don’t want any tension.

You play Sandy Bigelow Patterson. Who is he?

Sandy is basically a guy that I think people are pretty used to seeing me play. He is sort of an everyman that is right down the middle. It is important in every comedy to have that character in the center that we can relate to. That way, we can appreciate all the absurdity that happens around him.

What can you say about Melissa McCarthy’s character?

Melissa’s character is one of the greatest on-screen antagonists I’ve seen in a long time.

What do you believe Melissa McCarthy brought to the role of Diana?

Melissa played Diana with a lot more heart than we had originally intended in the script. Maybe it was our fault to only think that this character has these colors and that character has those other ones. Melissa was able to do so much and not make the character one-dimensional. She can put heart in a scene where it was not intended. As a result, she gives you something more fulfilling to watch.

You hit Melissa with a guitar. What was it like to film that scene?

I don’t believe I have ever hit a woman on or off a set before. I remember apologetically suggesting the idea of hitting her with this guitar to stop her from getting away. Seth Gordon laughed and said it would be great. We built a little side-helmet for the stunt girl and went ahead with the scene.

Did you frequently improvise during this shoot?

There were some things that were improvised, but this script was written so beautifully by Craig Mazin that we didn’t need to do much. Still, we liked to surprise and say things differently with some of the final takes just to make people laugh. Some of those moments made it into the movie.

Even though the film is a comedy with some outrageous moments, it is also grounded in reality. Can you explain further?

In writing the script, Craig did a lot of research to make sure that everything was plausible. You always expand the borders when you take any kind of comedic license, but he tried to deal with all that as responsibly as he could.

Have you ever been the victim of any kind of identity theft?

Luckily, identity theft hasn’t happened to me yet, but it has happened to Melissa and many other people I know. Identity theft is happening more and more, since it is probably a little bit easier with the technology now. I’ve been very lucky so far.

Has your identity ever been mistaken with someone else’s?

I get mistaken for Jerry O’Connell quite a bit, but I don’t mind. He gets it the other way around as well. Every time we see each other, we compare stories.

Why did you decide to also produce the movie?

You don’t know how long you are going to be invited to this party, so it is fun to diversify. Like with any profession, you start to absorb and appreciate what other people you work with do, and some of those jobs are very interesting.

What do you enjoy about producing?

I enjoy trying to put together a group of people you really admire, whether you have full or limited access to them. It is kind of like building a sports team because you try to figure out who will do each job best.

Why did you decide to team up with Seth Gordon again?

I knew Seth would be a great guy to team up with again because we share a sensibility and he is such a nice guy. The same thing can be said about Craig Mazin.

What is the audience takeaway from IDENTITY THIEF, apart from all the fun and laughter?

IDENTITY THIEF is just a fun comedy. If there is a theme or a message, it is hopefully under many layers of light-hearted comedy. For me, that message would be that maybe, every once in a while, you should take a closer look at who you think you are because you probably could improve.

“Identity Thief” is released and distributed by

United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.

Showing May 1, 2013. Nationwide