Murder mysteries are back in vogue and Reunion (2024) is looking to ride the wave. This is unfortunate for the creative team behind this film as almost every single thing they attempted was crafted better in 2022’s wonderful series, The Afterparty and in various other shows before and after that. One thing noticeable on any level is the cast assembled. Each of the actors from the ensemble cast brings something to the table in regard to the intrigue & comedy, most notably the breakout star from Get Out, Lil Rel Howery. The boxes that the various would-be players are now familiar with, but the general idea of the film does seem to have its light hearted moments. Reunion can’t manage to keep up the pace of the murder rest of the characters and ends much earlier than expected, well before the cringe inducing end of the film.
The Ridgeview High’s Class of 2001 reunion is just around the corner and it will be hosted by the handsome millionaire Matthew (Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl, The Boys), in his huge mansion. Police officer Evan (Billy Magnussen, Aladdin, Tell Me A Story) and his best friend Ray (Howery) are on their way to the mansion and worry about how their classmates will view them after so many years apart. Ray swears that today he will have sex, while Evan seems more relaxed about the matter. If it happens, it happens. As the evening begins, Evan turns to an old flame, Jasmine (Jamie Chung, The Gifted, Gotham), trying to win her over. The crowd there looks good, apparently not all of them require a name and a backstory. Later on, he would be surprised to learn that one of the girls had been a crush of his turned out to be Jasmine, the hostess of the party. Outside, a snowstorm begins and later, the power is lost. The very next day, Matthew’s body is found in the building, apparently murdered! With a vast number of people possibly being suspects, and no mobile or landline services available, the companions rage a cooperative war to determine who the killer is.
The character dynamics are interesting and developing each of them is part of what makes the first act a highly engaging experience. Also of note is The Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev as Amanda, a Congressional hopeful whose hard-partying days are now behind her and Vivian (Jillian Bell, 22 Jump Street, Rough Night), the weird loner who keeps ogling Evan and Ray for some reason, while additionally duplicitously saying she’ll put on a show of some kind. Willie Block and Jake Emanuel provide a top-heavy script that leaves a lot to be desired in the muffled middle section. The control also appears somewhat inactive in the hands of Chris Nelson, whose previous work at Netflix, The Perfect Date, is one of the most regrettable films released on the platform. We were presented with various stories regarding the same occurrences been narrated to us over and over again in the Afterparty. Reunion lacks the luxury of time, and so the entire party sits like Scooby Doo and pieces the clues together in the house. By the time we reach the completely ridiculous resolution at the show’s end, does anybody actually care about the ending?
Reunion is certainly not the worst of the murder mystery being presented that lacks a sense of originality.
The production is not outstandingly horrible and is still somewhat entertaining. But the mind- numbing quality of the screenplay just about guarantees its absence from the record by the end of the year. Not so much a blemish on someone’s filmography as an opportunistic grab for a bandwagon, Reunion looks up to better whodunnits and feels inferior to many of them.
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