‘Workaholics’ Crew Reunite for Outlandish Action Comedy ‘Game Over, Man!’

Sandra Miska

One year after the finale of their hit Comedy Central series “Workaholics,” stars Adam DeVine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson reunite with co-creator Kyle Newacheck for “Game Over, Man!,” an action comedy not for the faint of heart. Newacheck helmed this Netflix offering that sees DeVine, Hold and Anderson as the “Dude Crew,” a trio of inept housekeepers at a high-end Los Angeles hotel. Their antic cause them to be a thorn in the side of Cassie (Aya Cash), the hotel’s uptight acting manager. “Boys will be boys,” is the response she hears from her boss, Mitch (Daniel Stern), a throwback of a man, when she complains, thus commencing this major dude bro comedy. In a conversation with Entertainment Voice, co-star Utkarsh Ambudkar described the film as “‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Dumb and Dumber,'” and the influences of both of these movies come through loud and clear as our heroes find themselves in the most outlandish of situations.

Not surprisingly, the guys are dissatisfied with their lives, especially Alexxx (DeVine), the loudmouth of the group, who seems to have lots of ideas but no clue on how to successfully implement them. His friends are smarter, but Darren (Holm) has a drug problem, while lack of confidence and other personal issues hold back Joel (Anderson). “Our lives suck,” states Alexxx in the first scene. “What are we going to do about it?” The guys get their chance after they sneak into a party at the hotel for the Bey of Tunisia (Ambudkar), a blinged-out heir who has made a name for himself as a social media influencer. To their delight, The Bey is easily convinced to invest in their “Skintendo Joysuit,” an invention that is just as wacky as it sounds.

Ambudkar holds his own against the “Workaholic” guys here, playing an entitled, obnoxious rich kid who brags about having sex with dead animals, and one cannot help but think of a certain family in D.C. whose members are known for posing in front of killed cheetahs. For Ambudkar, whose family hails from India, playing this bombastic, privileged character was a chance for him to defy some stereotypes.

“I get to play this wild, outrageous, totally inappropriate, profane character,” Ambudkar said. “I have fun playing characters that Hollywood doesn’t see South Asians playing now.”

Unfortunately, after the Dude Crew’s triumph with They Bey, Mitch kicks them out of the party, snatching away their check from the rich man, and even more unfortunate, a group of bad guys soon arrive on the scene intent on getting from The Bey the access code to his hefty bank account. Initially led by one Conrad Crothers (played to perfection here by former “Desperate Housewives” villain Neal McDonough), the evildoers take hostages, including a gaggle of celebrities, some more recognizable than others (Remember Shaggy?).

Narrowly escaping being hostages themselves, the Dude Crew are now left to save the day, and hopefully get another check while they’re at it. Holm, who wrote the screenplay based on a story developed with the other guys, found no shortage of way to kill off the baddies, each death more gory than the next. In true “Dumb and Dumber” fashion, the heroes take them out almost purely by luck. This film could have been more of a thrill ride, but pacing issues get in the way, as there are two many scenes here of the leads goofing off that don’t serve the plot, a hallmark of many a film made by buddies.

Unlike in “When We First Met,” his tepid Netflix rom com, DeVine takes some risks here, most notably in a full frontal nude scene that would make Jason Siegel blush. Here, in what is probably the film’s most humorous scenes, Steve Howey and Marc Brandt crack up as a pair of gay bad guys who pause their devious doings in order to have sex, unaware that the Dude Crew is present in the room with them.

While “Game Over, Man” is drenched in testosterone, it does have a feminist streak. Rhona Mitra plays Irma, the sole female villain. Although she is probably the sharpest of the bunch, she has to deal with people assuming that she is just a tagalong girlfriend. In a hilarious twist, she proves to be just the mentor the fed-up Cassie needs.

Overall, “Game Over, Man” is a silly, guilty pleasure comedy, a perfect fit for Netflix. Ambudkar put it best: “It’s not changing the world, but sometimes we need to just have a good time.”

“Game Over, Man!” premieres March 23 on Netflix.