James L. Brooks wrote this funny/sad, grown-up television movie about two poker pals (Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart) who inadvertently neglect their spouses in search of deeper meaning in their lives. Filmed in 1971, "Game" is a beautifully nuanced and sardonic middle-age-crazy tale with a sensational ensemble cast, nicely photographed in gritty colors by the esteemed Joe Biroc. Robert Moore directed in a quirky but sure-handed fashion, working from a tight script which never takes a cheap shot. Wilder (along with Ellen Burstyn as his wife) is at the peak of his charms here as an actor, and he and Newhart make a surprisingly fine beleaguered-buddy team. Well-received in its day, the movie has been unjustly forgotten (how it wound up on TV is anyone's guess); this has the look and prestige of a theatrical feature.
11 Reviews
Neglected comedy, well worth looking-out for.
barnabyrudge11 April 2004
Filmed in 1971, but inexplicably shelved until 1974, Thursday's Game is a delightful comedy which features some moments of sheer comedic magic and a clutch of very strong performances. It's enormously surprising to find so few reviews here on the imdb, as this is a film that I would have expected to have a high number of fans. Perhaps the fact that it is a rarely-seen film - a "lost" movie, if truth be known - has something to do with it.
Gene Wilder is fabulous as Harry Evers, a TV producer who fears for his job after the rapid decline in viewing figures for a game-show that he is in charge of. On Thursday evenings, he gets his one and only chance to unwind when he meets up with a gang of guys for casual poker games. One week, the game goes sour and the guys have a bust-up, resulting in the cancellation of any future Thursday night games. However, Harry can't bear the thought of Thursday nights at home, so he fixes up a clever ruse with another poker-playing friend Marvin (Bob Newhart). Instead of calling it quits, the devious twosome tell their wives that the game is still going on and meet up for nights on the town. This weekly taste of freedom has an inevitable influence on both men, and soon they find themselves questioning whether they are truly happy in their respective marriages.
The film is sure to strike a chord with men who have ever found themselves questioning their commitment to their partners. Is it better to be in a sharing relationship where certain sacrifices may have to be made, or is it better to have total freedom even if it means accepting a degree of loneliness? Within this serious storyline, though, Thursday's Game manages to be side-splittingly funny. The scene where Wilder visits his agent (Rob Reiner, in a terrific cameo appearance), only to find out that his agent has never even heard of him, is simply priceless. And the poker bust-up sequence is wickedly funny too. Ellen Burstyn, as Wilder's gullible wife, gives a performance that it as heartfelt as it is touching. Similarly, Nancy Walker as Wilder's employment advisor has some wonderful moments. Thursday's Game is definitely worth seeking out - an absolute gem that everyone should see.
Gene Wilder is fabulous as Harry Evers, a TV producer who fears for his job after the rapid decline in viewing figures for a game-show that he is in charge of. On Thursday evenings, he gets his one and only chance to unwind when he meets up with a gang of guys for casual poker games. One week, the game goes sour and the guys have a bust-up, resulting in the cancellation of any future Thursday night games. However, Harry can't bear the thought of Thursday nights at home, so he fixes up a clever ruse with another poker-playing friend Marvin (Bob Newhart). Instead of calling it quits, the devious twosome tell their wives that the game is still going on and meet up for nights on the town. This weekly taste of freedom has an inevitable influence on both men, and soon they find themselves questioning whether they are truly happy in their respective marriages.
The film is sure to strike a chord with men who have ever found themselves questioning their commitment to their partners. Is it better to be in a sharing relationship where certain sacrifices may have to be made, or is it better to have total freedom even if it means accepting a degree of loneliness? Within this serious storyline, though, Thursday's Game manages to be side-splittingly funny. The scene where Wilder visits his agent (Rob Reiner, in a terrific cameo appearance), only to find out that his agent has never even heard of him, is simply priceless. And the poker bust-up sequence is wickedly funny too. Ellen Burstyn, as Wilder's gullible wife, gives a performance that it as heartfelt as it is touching. Similarly, Nancy Walker as Wilder's employment advisor has some wonderful moments. Thursday's Game is definitely worth seeking out - an absolute gem that everyone should see.
Runs out of comic ideas!
JohnHowardReid25 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Thursday's Game was completed in 1971, but suppressed until 1974. I purchased this movie on DVD and was unaware until I read the reviews after watching the film that it was a TV movie and had no theatrical release. However, I did realize quite soon into the movie that the pacing was all wrong. But I just put this down to the seemingly incompetence of director Robert Moore, rather than the then unknown- to-me fact that he and the whole editorial team were forced to adjust all the movie's pacing into segments that met the insatiable demands of periodic commercials. So I suppose that we can say that under these circumstances he did quite nobly and that both Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart acquitted themselves with reasonable honors. (Gene Wilder is billed second on the DVD cover, would you believe, even though he has the more important role). On the negative side, with a too-long running time of 97 minutes (even without commercial breaks), the movie runs out of comedy ideas about halfway through. The plot, such as it is, seems to be stretched out far too long and tends to way out-stay its initial welcome, despite the earnest efforts of Wilder and Newhart. In fact, Wilder is too earnest. Far too earnest!
A feel-good comedy with an all-star cast!
rudy-3026 June 2002
This wonderful movie used to be shown several times as filler for networks who needed to show something when the World Series ended too soon. Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart are actually reversals in this film; Gene is the calm family type, and Bob is the hyper-kinetic salesman. The film also takes a stab at television, long before "Network." It's a winner.
Men's night out.
mark.waltz14 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A ton of talent in this slice of life comedy that focuses on the need of men to have their nights away from their women. Gene Wilder, married to Ellen Burstyn, is having job issues (spending more time with job counselor Nancy Walker than his wife), while Bob Newhart is married to Cloris Leachman and not faithful. Problems for Wilder and Burstyn get worse aa his job prospects weaken, and he can't even bring himself to cheat (with Valarie Harper) when his wife takes their son away on a trial separation.
The film focuses more on Wilder than it does Newhart, with Bob a bad influence on Gene. The comedy is more verbal than physical, and probably more of a middle aged man's film than a woman's. Not surprising that the film features some of the most popular faces on TV in the early 70's considering that it was written by James L. Brooks, creator of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Leachman has one fantastic scene (in her Phyllis hairdo), but Harper and Walker don't appear together. Wilder and Newhart have great chemistry together. It's slice of life and death and in between, not much of a plot, but oh that cast.
The film focuses more on Wilder than it does Newhart, with Bob a bad influence on Gene. The comedy is more verbal than physical, and probably more of a middle aged man's film than a woman's. Not surprising that the film features some of the most popular faces on TV in the early 70's considering that it was written by James L. Brooks, creator of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Leachman has one fantastic scene (in her Phyllis hairdo), but Harper and Walker don't appear together. Wilder and Newhart have great chemistry together. It's slice of life and death and in between, not much of a plot, but oh that cast.
Wilder & Newhart - What A Great Team!
ShadeGrenade9 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Sometime in the early '80's, an industrial dispute resulted in the last-minute cancellation of my favourite show 'Minder'. In its place I.T.V. screened a U.S. T.V. movie I had not seen before: 'Thursday's Game'. I watched mainly because it starred Gene Wilder and the equally wonderful Bob Newhart ( if you have never heard his comic monologues, you owe it to yourself to do so ).
Wilder is 'Harry Evers', producer of a daytime game show called 'Let's Chance It!'. The ratings are dropping so, expecting cancellation, he goes to see an employment officer ( Nancy Walker ) with a view to putting himself back on the job market. Initially, she tells him that getting a new job will be easy. She then finds out she has read the wrong resume. Reading the correct one, she does not look happy. Harry's worst fears are confirmed. He is unemployable.
The highlight of Harry's week is his Thursday night poker game with his buddies, among them Marvin ( Newhart ), owner of a successful fashion empire. One night, the game erupts into a fight when a losing player refuses to pay Harry what he owes him. Determined to keep the tradition of the wife-free Thursday night alive, he and Marvin begin going to theatres, cinemas, and bars. Marvin is also going through a mid-life crisis - he wants to divorce his much older wife Lois ( Cloris Leachman ) but is afraid to do so in case she tries to top herself.
Harry approaches Ann ( Valerie Harper ) with a view to an affair, but cannot bring himself to go through with it. Then disaster strikes - his wife Lynne ( Ellen Burstyn ) finds out the game ended months ago, and thinks her husband is cheating on her...
This was made in 1971 but went unscreened until 1974, possibly to cash in on Wilder's popularity in the Mel Brooks movies, as well as Burstyn's role in 'The Exorcist'. The studio executives who did not like it must have been watching with their eyes shut. 'Thursday's Game' is a warm, funny comedy which encompasses adult themes such as marriage, divorce, redundancy, depression, adultery, and above all friendship. Unusually for a comedy of this kind, James L. Brooks' script is not shot through with unrealistic one-liners, the humour arises naturally out of the characters and situations.
Wilder is fabulous, only going over the top when he has to. When Harry is fired, he sits there stone-faced listening to the squeak of his chair before casually trashing his ex-boss' office. Newhart's big moment comes when Marvin tells Lois he wants a divorce over dinner in a busy New York restaurant, and she suffers a bout of hysteria, predating the most famous scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' by almost two decades. The chemistry between the stars is wonderful.
Funniest moment? Its when Harry goes to see his agent ( Rob Reiner ) and is stunned to find the man does not know who he is, despite him having been paid ten per cent of Harry's salary each month for four years. Harry's rage is hysterical to watch.
At the end, Marvin, now a free man, goes off to Europe, and you find yourself almost wishing Harry would go with him. But Harry's loyalty to his family is too strong.
'Thursday's Game' is hard to track down, but for fans of Wilder and Newhart or anyone just wanting a good laugh it is well worth the effort.
Wilder is 'Harry Evers', producer of a daytime game show called 'Let's Chance It!'. The ratings are dropping so, expecting cancellation, he goes to see an employment officer ( Nancy Walker ) with a view to putting himself back on the job market. Initially, she tells him that getting a new job will be easy. She then finds out she has read the wrong resume. Reading the correct one, she does not look happy. Harry's worst fears are confirmed. He is unemployable.
The highlight of Harry's week is his Thursday night poker game with his buddies, among them Marvin ( Newhart ), owner of a successful fashion empire. One night, the game erupts into a fight when a losing player refuses to pay Harry what he owes him. Determined to keep the tradition of the wife-free Thursday night alive, he and Marvin begin going to theatres, cinemas, and bars. Marvin is also going through a mid-life crisis - he wants to divorce his much older wife Lois ( Cloris Leachman ) but is afraid to do so in case she tries to top herself.
Harry approaches Ann ( Valerie Harper ) with a view to an affair, but cannot bring himself to go through with it. Then disaster strikes - his wife Lynne ( Ellen Burstyn ) finds out the game ended months ago, and thinks her husband is cheating on her...
This was made in 1971 but went unscreened until 1974, possibly to cash in on Wilder's popularity in the Mel Brooks movies, as well as Burstyn's role in 'The Exorcist'. The studio executives who did not like it must have been watching with their eyes shut. 'Thursday's Game' is a warm, funny comedy which encompasses adult themes such as marriage, divorce, redundancy, depression, adultery, and above all friendship. Unusually for a comedy of this kind, James L. Brooks' script is not shot through with unrealistic one-liners, the humour arises naturally out of the characters and situations.
Wilder is fabulous, only going over the top when he has to. When Harry is fired, he sits there stone-faced listening to the squeak of his chair before casually trashing his ex-boss' office. Newhart's big moment comes when Marvin tells Lois he wants a divorce over dinner in a busy New York restaurant, and she suffers a bout of hysteria, predating the most famous scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' by almost two decades. The chemistry between the stars is wonderful.
Funniest moment? Its when Harry goes to see his agent ( Rob Reiner ) and is stunned to find the man does not know who he is, despite him having been paid ten per cent of Harry's salary each month for four years. Harry's rage is hysterical to watch.
At the end, Marvin, now a free man, goes off to Europe, and you find yourself almost wishing Harry would go with him. But Harry's loyalty to his family is too strong.
'Thursday's Game' is hard to track down, but for fans of Wilder and Newhart or anyone just wanting a good laugh it is well worth the effort.
Thursday's Game
jimel9820 January 2007
It's been so long since I've seen this film that I figured it had fallen into some kind of vortex. I just finished reading Bob Newhart's very funny book, "I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!" In writing this, he touches on several television and film projects he did, but he didn't mention that wonderful movie. Oddly, though I cannot remember how it goes, it was the theme music that really caused me to hold on to the memory of this movie. I have no idea why the memory of enjoying a simple little tune (however it goes) would stick more than any scenes. But the plot, that you can never forget.
Dear Lord, please guide one of the many, MANY cable networks out there to find this and show it. I implore you! Amen.
****Years have gone by since I wrote this (and forgot I did) and in that time period, I actually got to watch "Thursday's Game". It was as funny as I recalled. It has some touching moments and very few LOL moments, but what a nice, simple and enjoyable film. Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder pull it off like the consummate professionals they are. IF you can find it and enjoy "NICE" movies, watch it, it's very doubtful you'll regret it.
Dear Lord, please guide one of the many, MANY cable networks out there to find this and show it. I implore you! Amen.
****Years have gone by since I wrote this (and forgot I did) and in that time period, I actually got to watch "Thursday's Game". It was as funny as I recalled. It has some touching moments and very few LOL moments, but what a nice, simple and enjoyable film. Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder pull it off like the consummate professionals they are. IF you can find it and enjoy "NICE" movies, watch it, it's very doubtful you'll regret it.
"Deceptively simple" comedy
Skragg6 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Possible spoiler. So many labels could be used to describe this one - "male bonding" story is the most obvious one- but it manages to go beyond all that. Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart work so well together, comparing their marital problems, with also the strain between them, with the one character losing his job and the other getting rich at the same time. Even the early scene at the summer camp is very funny - it's full of jokes that people associate with "political correctness" and "New Age" thinking, but in an early ' 70s comedy, since those things aren't nearly as new as people seem to think. The actor Chris Sarandon (whom I'm barely familiar with) had a genuinely funny line, "delivered" in a funny way - "I feel the need to make a good impression on you both - partly out of ego, and partly because I want a good tip." Of all the supporting actors, Nancy Walker had the best part, as the job counselor who gets emotionally involved with all her clients, just like an analyst. And it was full of lines from Bob Newhart that only HE could do justice to. This is almost a spoiler, since it comes so late in the story, but in one scene, he decides to throw away his watch, to show that he's no longer part of a daily grind. Then he says, "But it's - I just got it." And just the thought of him and Cloris Leachman as a couple is very funny - an actor who's great at being put-upon and an actress who's great at being intimidating! I have one very small "technical" complaint about that restaurant scene where he walks in with the strange clothing item, and everyone is laughing - it sounds just like what it is - a laughtrack. Someone here said it was actually made in 1971, not ' 74. That makes sense to me, somehow. This is really "labeling," but it has even more of an EARLY ' 70s look than a mid-' 70s look (whatever that means).
Incredibly sweet, funny, and memorable
whidbeydanielg4 August 2017
I saw this on TV in 1974. I subsequently found out it had been completed 3 years earlier, but could not be sold as a movie. Hence it was a throw-away on TV.
WHAT A SHAME! It is one of the sweetest films I have ever seen. Wilder and Newhart lead an all-star cast in a low-key, and funny story about two men who continue to "play" their Thursday night poker game, long after it ends (on a hilarious note).
Really, nothing happens in the film. It is just a story about these two men's marriages.
James Brooks wrote it. He also was responsible for As Good as it Gets, Terms of Endearment, and a lot of well-crafted TV shows. He's the real deal, and so was this film.
I finally located a VHS copy, and now have one to watch whenever I want.
WHAT A SHAME! It is one of the sweetest films I have ever seen. Wilder and Newhart lead an all-star cast in a low-key, and funny story about two men who continue to "play" their Thursday night poker game, long after it ends (on a hilarious note).
Really, nothing happens in the film. It is just a story about these two men's marriages.
James Brooks wrote it. He also was responsible for As Good as it Gets, Terms of Endearment, and a lot of well-crafted TV shows. He's the real deal, and so was this film.
I finally located a VHS copy, and now have one to watch whenever I want.
"Not only don't I know if I can get another job, I don't know what kind of a job to apply for, just what is it I do?"
oOoBarracuda13 June 2016
I'm not sure if Young Frankenstein or Thursday's Game was the reunion between Gene Wilder and Cloris Leachman, but either way, they were joined in the 1974 t.v. film Thursday's Game. Director Robert Moore joined Leachman and Wilder with Bob Newhart and Ellen Burstyn to illustrate two men and their journey to figuring out society through their friendship. Each with their own career paths and lives that have taken unexpected turns, the only thing that was constant in their lives were the weekly poker games that took place on Thursday night. Navigating society, their marriages, and their jobs, the two would let nothing stand in their way to have nights to themselves, even the end of the poker game.
Harry Evers, a television producer who is at the helm of a flop t.v. show is nervous that he is going to get fired if the ratings on his show continue to tank. While waiting to meet with a jobs counselor, Harry runs into his friend Marvin Ellison (Bob Newhart) whom he plays in a weekly poker night with. Marvin tells Harry about his newest innovation in the garment business and asks him to venture into it with him. Unwilling to take a handout from his friend, Harry declines the offer, clinging to his job as a television producer still hoping to line something up in case he loses his job. Both of the men, needing extra money anyway, reluctantly agree to the new terms of their weekly poker game to raise the stakes. When they both come out big winners, their friends become angry and banish them from the game. Needing the solace of each other's struggling, and seeking time to themselves they decide to continue the ruse that the poker game is still going on. Harry tells his wife Lynne (Ellen Burstyn), and Marvin tells his wife Lois (Cloris Leachman) that the poker game is still happening, while the two enjoy nights out with each other weekly. Harry eventually loses his job, and Marvin's innovation takes off leaving the two traveling incredibly different societal paths. While out of work, Harry coils within himself and his marriage begin to suffer; Marvin, enjoying riches through his work is also experiencing a breakdown in his marriage as he grows increasingly displeased in his marriage. Will the two ever figure out how to experience happiness, and what does it even mean to be happy in a society that demands financial gain to equate to worthiness?
Gene Wilder's Harry is the ultimate illustration for every individual that plays it safe in life, and never takes any risks. He lives his life in such guarded restriction that he never experiences true joy because he is constantly overthinking his choices. His hesitation in all areas of his life translates to his marriage as well, as he keeps himself from really communicating with his wife about things that matter. Wilder's portrayal of this character was divine, making the relatable character come to life for the whole audience. Bob Newhart's Marvin, likewise, was the ultimate illustration of every person who thinks that the next big break is going to bring happiness. Of course, if you don't start out with happiness, for Marvin, in his home, you will never make yourself happy by throwing more money on top of a negative situation.
Thursday's Game provided wonderful social commentary on what it means to be successful, and just how different that definition of success means to society and to the individual. The depressing side of this film is that humanity and society demand financial success in order to view someone as successful. Of course, there is so much more to a person than their job title, but the unfortunate reality is that fact is often ignored. When you go to a party, you don't hear a lot of people asking "what dream to you strive for?" but you will often hear "What to you do for a living?". In capitalist America, work makes you; Thursday's Game does a great deal to expose the intricacies of the members of society, rather than the society itself.
Harry Evers, a television producer who is at the helm of a flop t.v. show is nervous that he is going to get fired if the ratings on his show continue to tank. While waiting to meet with a jobs counselor, Harry runs into his friend Marvin Ellison (Bob Newhart) whom he plays in a weekly poker night with. Marvin tells Harry about his newest innovation in the garment business and asks him to venture into it with him. Unwilling to take a handout from his friend, Harry declines the offer, clinging to his job as a television producer still hoping to line something up in case he loses his job. Both of the men, needing extra money anyway, reluctantly agree to the new terms of their weekly poker game to raise the stakes. When they both come out big winners, their friends become angry and banish them from the game. Needing the solace of each other's struggling, and seeking time to themselves they decide to continue the ruse that the poker game is still going on. Harry tells his wife Lynne (Ellen Burstyn), and Marvin tells his wife Lois (Cloris Leachman) that the poker game is still happening, while the two enjoy nights out with each other weekly. Harry eventually loses his job, and Marvin's innovation takes off leaving the two traveling incredibly different societal paths. While out of work, Harry coils within himself and his marriage begin to suffer; Marvin, enjoying riches through his work is also experiencing a breakdown in his marriage as he grows increasingly displeased in his marriage. Will the two ever figure out how to experience happiness, and what does it even mean to be happy in a society that demands financial gain to equate to worthiness?
Gene Wilder's Harry is the ultimate illustration for every individual that plays it safe in life, and never takes any risks. He lives his life in such guarded restriction that he never experiences true joy because he is constantly overthinking his choices. His hesitation in all areas of his life translates to his marriage as well, as he keeps himself from really communicating with his wife about things that matter. Wilder's portrayal of this character was divine, making the relatable character come to life for the whole audience. Bob Newhart's Marvin, likewise, was the ultimate illustration of every person who thinks that the next big break is going to bring happiness. Of course, if you don't start out with happiness, for Marvin, in his home, you will never make yourself happy by throwing more money on top of a negative situation.
Thursday's Game provided wonderful social commentary on what it means to be successful, and just how different that definition of success means to society and to the individual. The depressing side of this film is that humanity and society demand financial success in order to view someone as successful. Of course, there is so much more to a person than their job title, but the unfortunate reality is that fact is often ignored. When you go to a party, you don't hear a lot of people asking "what dream to you strive for?" but you will often hear "What to you do for a living?". In capitalist America, work makes you; Thursday's Game does a great deal to expose the intricacies of the members of society, rather than the society itself.
Thursday's Game is full of woe
buckaroobanzai509 December 2003
I'm not the only person who's seen this!!!...I'm quite surprised at that. I saw it sometime during the late '70s, and it was quite memorable because Gene Wilder played his part as a gambling addict very straight and serious. I especially remember the scene with Wilder and Newhart in the children's playground.
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