Movie Review: ‘Reunion’

“Reunion,” available digitally from June 28, feels like it arrived out of nowhere rather than as a planned release, and the results clearly show why.

Despite some amusing performances from normally funny people, the film never quite overcomes the stale feeling that it’s a half-hearted attempt at being both a comedy and a murder mystery, with little in the way of invention.

Related article: Lil Rel Howery talks comedy mystery ‘Reunion’ and working with the cast

Is it worth attending a ‘reunion’?

It’s tempting to suggest that ‘Reunion’ was born when someone watched the Apple TV+ comedy thriller series ‘The Afterparty’ (created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and boasting both a clever plot and a stellar cast) and decided, “We can do that, but on a lower budget.” Yet this “new” release was actually filmed in 2021, so at least it has that in its defense.

Still, any cinematic aficionado can still point to the fact that it’s mostly sat on the shelf since then, finally being quietly released digitally overseas in April. Can you honestly say, hand on heart, that you knew it was actually going to be released?

And if that sounds overly negative, let me point out that the film itself isn’t devoid of entertainment, but that’s mainly thanks to a cast that throws themselves into trying to make the mostly awkward, unexciting material work.

Screenplay and direction

Written by Willie Block and Jake Emmanuel, this new murder mystery repeats many of the tropes you might expect from the genre. It brings a group together (in this case, a 20-year high school reunion), introduces different personalities and begins to reveal the simmering resentment between former schoolmates. Some have gone on to great success, others are struggling to get their lives in order, there’s a weird kind of creepiness to it… you’ll honestly feel like you’ve seen and heard it all before, just vaguely.

And once the murder mystery gets going (power failure and the death of a key target), things don’t improve much, with the plot going through the process of shedding light on potential suspects before there are a few final twists you may have already spotted.

Director Chris Nelson has mastered most romantic comedies, and his eye for a strong comedy cast is one of the few shortcomings here. For the most part, the film’s style is basic, allowing the performances to carry the show. Yet there are moments where the editing is particularly loose, with some scenes appearing abruptly without any context.

Exhibition of

‘Reunion’, as we’ve mentioned before, features some well-known and respected comedic talents, but they’re rarely utilized as well as they should be.

Lil Rel Howery as Ray Hammond

Lil Rel Howery does a great job in his usual nervous, enthusiastic style playing Ray, whose life didn’t end the way he wanted it to. He’s not that successful, he’s still single and overall he’s looking at the reunion as a way to make up for past mistakes and create a better future. He’s our real way into the story, but even in Howery’s hands, Ray isn’t a particularly watchable personality. There are a few odd moments like him getting beer bottles stuck to his hands, which seems unusual for his character.

Billy Magnussen – Evan West

Billy Magnussen’s Evan is a former high school football star who is still grieving an injury that ended his potential career before it even started. These days, he’s a local police officer, and still friends with Ray (though their relationship may be strained) and has his own reasons for participating in the program. Magnussen certainly gives his best to the role, but he often struggles.

Jamie Chung – Jasmine Park

Jamie Chung plays a reporter who went to school with the others and had her own problems while there. She’s a reliably funny and charming performer here, but despite adding some depth later on, she doesn’t have much to grow on and is mostly driven by Magnusson and Howery.

Chace Crawford – Matthew Danbury

Chace Crawford, who has proven his comedic prowess several times as The Deep in ‘The Boys’, takes on a shallow character here. He does everything possible to make the wealthy Matthew a little sleazy but still charismatic.

Jillian Bell – Vivian Chase

Jillian Bell can always be relied upon to play smaller roles (though she does take on larger roles these days) and here, as Vivian, she’s a straight-up quirky outsider, and remains worth watching despite the weak script.

Michael Hitchcock – Theodore Buckley

Bale, like himself, is one of the best supporting roles, playing bitter, alcoholic history teacher Michael Hitchcock. And honestly, it’s a blessing to have him in the movie.

Nina Dobrev – Amanda Tanner

Nina Dobrev is perhaps more surprising, as she has a more dramatic background. But she has experience in comedy and is solid here as an anti-social (admittedly so) ambitious political figure who offers a different flavor from the rest of the cast.

final thoughts

There’s really nothing new in ‘Reunion.’ Some of the jokes and character dynamics work, but for the most part, this is a minor entry in both comedy and murder mystery.

You don’t need to be Poirot to realise when this film died and fell into release limbo.

‘Reunion’ gets 5.5 out of 10 stars.

What is the plot of ‘Reunion’?

‘Reunion’ follows the rollercoaster of ups and downs when a high school reunion is cut short by murder. Stranded in a snow-covered mansion, they try to figure out which of their old classmates is the killer before they’re all snowed in forever.

Who are the cast members of ‘Reunion’?

• Lil Rel Howery as Ray Hammond
• Billy Magnussen – Evan West
• Jillian Bell – Vivian Chase
• Jamie Chung – Jasmine Park
• Michael Hitchcock – Mr. Theodore Buckley
• Diane Doan – as Lisa Danbury
• Cassandra Blair – Megan Cooper
• Nina Dobrev – Amanda Tanner
• Chace Crawford – Matthew Danbury

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