The unexpected death of Bruce Lee, a world- wide phenomenon and established movie star, came at the peak of his popularity. Having already shot scenes for his upcoming movie Game of Death, studio heads decided to complete ... more »the film by launching a search for his replacement attracting hopefuls from all around the world. Finishing the Game is an uproarious, poignant, unpredictable and action packed re-imagining of the casting process for Lee's replacement.« less
Michael G. (mgmirkin) from PORTLAND, OR Reviewed on 5/7/2009...
Really didn't live up to expectations, unfortunately. I was hoping for a good martial arts spoof, with some decent martial arts action, seeing as how the subject matter is supposedly Bruce Lee's "unfinished work"...
It was more like a feature-length casting call with a highlights reel of American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance "judge commentaries" thrown in. The ending plain sucked. (What ending? Apparently, they had no idea how to end it, so they more or less abruptly cut it off.)
Honestly, I'd skip it. Maybe worth a rental for the morbid curiosity. Debatable whether it's even worth a rental. I mean, it does in some ways lampoon contemporary culture a little as well as 70's culture and stereotypical treatment of Asians in cinema. But, it just wasn't nearly as funny as I'd hoped. There certainly wasn't much if any action to speak of.
As far as the extra features, there's some minor "on set" making-of type stuff and a rather long deleted scene / skit that seems to have little to do with the movie at all, but is probably more interesting than the actual movie itself. Otherwise, the features are pretty non-existent. Ohh, there was a commentary track too, though I didn't listen to it.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
WONDERFUL LAUGHS!!!
Maimounah Masudi | Fayetteville, NC | 04/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ok first of all, I enjoyed seeing Roger Fan, Dustin Nguyen, Brian Tee, and Sung Kang in a movie ALL together. I just luuuv them!!! This movie was hilarious. It made light of the serious plight of an Asian American male who goes for casting calls in Hollywood. One of my favorite scenes was with Brian Tee playing a Vietnam Vet. I thought it was brilliantly done and after renting it this past weekend from Blockbuster, I'm gonna buy it!!!"
Laughed out loud!
Fred Madison | NJ/NY Metro Area | 03/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Saw this at a film festival last year. Thought it was really funny! Very satirical, with surprisingly good performances by Roger Fan, Sung Kang, and Dustin Nguyen. MC Hammer is hilarious, too! Would have been good if they at least had one shot of the real Bruce Lee which would have shown how good Roger Fan actually is in immitating him (even though his character is the one "replacement candidate" who claims to be his "own man"). Highly recommended."
Captures 70's/80's B Movies Perfectly - Better Love That to
Daniel G. Lebryk | 03/30/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you love 70's / 80's B movies - oh this film is just perfect. If you remember that -sploitation (fill in the class, black, asian, women, etc.) era and cringe, just move on, don't watch this film. If you hate Ron Jeremy and seeing the edge of an adult film set compelete with full frontal male and female nudity, look the other way.
This is a paradoy of those B movies. They got the clothing, the lighting, the hair, the bad acting, the cars, the decor (the way walls were painted, furniture, et al), the film stock, the audio, the titles, and the editing absolutely 100% perfect spot on.
This is a cast of thousands, almost all B actors with long resumes in television or supporting actors in other films. James Franco shows up, probably the biggest name actor.
This got four stars simply because it's such a perfectly done throw back to an era of film making. It's short hour and 24 minutes to the point. There's some good laughs here and there. It feels a bit like a documentary, but is definately not real.
This film is R rated and then some. There's a lot of foul language. There is full male and female frontal nudity for exactly the reason a film might get and NC-17 rating. There's a small amount of violence, mostly in recreations of old television programs. Definately not a film for anyone younger than this rating.
The DVD is blissfully devoid of any special features."
Hilarious! Lin is a genius!
Dallas B. Decker | Long Island, NY | 03/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Very funny movie on several levels. Looks at discrimination, which is very real and hurtful, and by laughing at it helps diffuse the hurt. Even the most unlikeable characters become real, and likeable. Finishing the Game is a great watch with a group of friends, and even better the second time. I nearly fell off my chair laughing a few times, but look for the subtleties as well. Goes far deeper than one might think, but is a lot of fun on every level."
Better than Spinal Tap
Victor Schwartzman | Winnipeg, Canada | 01/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I stumbled across this gem on cable tv, halfway through. Watched ten minutes & thought, if this is as good as it seems to be, just gotta watch this from the beginning. Think Spinal Tap--but with the plot involving finishing a Bruce Lee movie.