IMDb > Funny Games (1997)
Funny Games
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Funny Games (1997) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 4 NEW)
Funny Games (1997) -- 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 (1997) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Funny Games (1997) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
Funny Games (1997) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   13,460 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Michael Haneke
Writer:
Michael Haneke (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Funny Games on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 March 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
Ein Alptraum. more
Plot:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
4 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(45 articles)
The Auteurs Daily: Toronto and Nyff. The White Ribbon
 (From The Auteurs. 13 October 2009, 12:38 PM, PDT)

Fantastic Fest: Uwe Boll, Auteur
 (From IFC. 5 October 2009, 11:44 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
George: Why are you doing this to us? Paul: Why not? more (245 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Runtime:
108 min
Country:
Austria
Language:
German | French | Italian
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Paul says the line "We're not up to feature film length yet" at exactly the 95-minute mark of the movie. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Anna and Georg are driving in their car, a reflection of a microphone between the front seats can be seen on the window. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Anna: Björling... Suliotis?
Georg: Almost. Björling is easy.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in 24 Wirklichkeiten in der Sekunde (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Tu Qui Santuzza more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
16 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
George: Why are you doing this to us? Paul: Why not?, 7 August 2007
10/10
Author: Galina from Virginia, USA

Watching "Funny Games" (1997) directed by Michael Haneke for the first time was an unforgettable visceral experience. It was the horror that really scared, devastated, and stayed with me long after the final scene was over. I can't easily recall another movie that made me go through the same emotions as the innocent victims in the movie did, to feel the same helplessness, hopelessness, despair, humiliation, and horror. I could not stop thinking of how illusory and fragile nature of happiness and safety is and how easy it is to shatter and destroy them. Is it a blessing or curse not to know what lies ahead and not be able to change the future? It's been several years since I saw the film but it still makes me shiver just to think about it.

"Funny Games" can be first mistaken for yet another conventional thriller where the good guys always win in the end and the evil is punished. Wrong, not by Haneke. He shocks you, he hits you in the gut, and then, he shocks you again. Haneke's is a true horror for his monsters don't look like the creatures from hell. No, "they are among us", they are nice and polite, well read, shy and ironic, they have the names from the new Testament, Paul and Peter, they talk with the soft refined voices but they are monsters nevertheless who have no regard for a human life and who want to play their sadistic funny games to the extreme.

"Funny Games" is a controversial film and I've read many reviews and comments that call it "a failure", accusing the film and its creator of not having said anything new or original on the connected subjects of violence, the media, and voyeuristic audience. It may not be a new or original subject Haneke dissects in his film but how he did it, his matter-of fact approach to the material and the seemingly unemotional manner affected me deeply, and I don't think I would ever forget this film.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Funny Games (1997)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Isn't using violence as a message against violence a bit contradictary? peterstrauss-1
Conversation in boat at the end. (Spoilers) PipiShortStockings_391
Totally overhyped maxjohnson1971
Remote Control heart-metal182
Differences between Funny Games and Funny Games U.S.? margarida_saramago
This is a great movie to see when coming down off an acid trip jojomgs
more

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