Murder mysteries are big again, and Reunion attempts to strike while the iron is hot. Unfortunately for the creative team here, nearly everything attempted was done better in 2022’s underrated series, The Afterparty, and countless projects both before and after it. One element not lacking on any level is the talent assembled. Each member of the ensemble cast contributes to both the mystery and comedy, especially Get Out‘s breakout star, Lil Rel Howery. The stereotypes filled by each of the prospective players may be obvious, yet the film’s setup shows glimmers of playful fun. Unable to sustain the high energy of its pre-murder hijinks, Reunion fizzles out long before its eye-rolling finale.
Ridgeview High’s School Class of 2001 reunion is imminent, hosted by wealthy prettyboy, Matthew (Chace Crawford, The Boys, Gossip Girl), at his massive mansion. As police officer Evan (Billy Magnussen, Tell Me A Story, Aladdin) and his best friend, Ray (Howery), head there, they stress about impressing their former classmates. Ray vows to get laid tonight, but Evan seems less intense about the whole affair. If it happens, it happens. As the festivities begin, Evan sets his eye on impressing Jasmine (Jamie Chung, The Gifted, Gotham), a former crush. The amount of people there seems impressive, though not all of them are warranted names and backstories. As a blizzard rages outside, the power goes out, and the very next morning, Jasmine discovers Matthew’s dead body! With a laundry list of suspects and no cell or landline service, the friends band together to try to solve the murder.
The character dynamics are interesting, and setting up each of them pays a large part in the film’s first act being so engaging. Other notable names are The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev as uptight Congress potential Amanda, who has come a long way from her former days of partying; and Vivian (Jillian Bell, 22 Jump Street, Rough Night), a strange loner who keeps staring at Evan and Ray, whilst ominously promising a show. Willie Block and Jake Emanuel pen a script that is top heavy, failing to do much with the saggy middle section. The direction also seems a little stale in the hands of Chris Nelson, whose previous Netflix film, The Perfect Date, remains one of the worst ever to release on the streamer. In The Afterparty, we learned each character’s side of the story as the same events were retold over and over again from new perspectives. Reunion doesn’t have time for that sort of thing, so just opts for the entire party hunting around the mansion for clues like Scooby Doo. By the time we get to the very silly reveal near the end, does anyone really care about the resolution?
For uninspired murder mysteries, one could definitely do worse than Reunion. There is nothing particularly ghastly about the production, and it remains at least mildly entertaining throughout. However, the forgettable nature of the script all but ensures it will be long gone and forgotten by year’s end. Not so much a stain on anyone’s filmography as a misguided attempt to hop on a train of popularity, Reunion lives in the shadows of greater whodunnits, and pales in comparison to many of them.
Spruce up for a murder-tinged Reunion, available to buy on Digital on Friday, June 28th.
