10 Years

Reunion with those We Do Not Know

         
 

07 September 2012| No Comments on 10 Years     by Sean Chavel

 

You want to poop out early because you might find yourself liking only a couple people out of the whole ensemble. I’ll blow it for you by insisting that Channing Tatum is the best actor to watch in 10 Years, the newest high school reunion movie. His smoldering thickens all the more when former girlfriends like Rosario Dawson (as Mary) flirt with him. Jenna Dewan-Tatum plays Jake’s current girlfriend, and competition to his ex. But this is one of those ensemble movies with too many characters. Anthony Mackie has charisma but not enough screen time to develop anything, Kate Mara is a pretty girl with little established about her. And a little of Oscar Isaac goes a long way. Not even Justin Long irks me, since sometimes his juvenile flakiness is embarrassingly funny.

Who else is in this movie? Brian Geraghy, Ari Graynor, Ron Livingston, Max Minghella, Lynne Collins, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Porter and Chris Pratt is the once cool bully who is now a “douchebag.” The party starts at somebody’s house, the reunion then is at a rented out hotel, then it goes to an after-dark bar called “The Pretzel.” Dawson is the only one in the cast who doesn’t drink. She’s of course a designated driver. These guys might, assumed, get place to place by taxi, but the script hops over such logistics.

“10 Years” is an exhibit as to why making movies is really hard. It’s competently and efficiently directed by Jamie Linden, for sure. But there isn’t a purpose or point for it existing – the story only offers a few short insights. I imagine that Linden thinks there are quite many insights. I just don’t think so, maybe because I was ahead of the characters. This flick might have worked if it dropped a dozen ensemble players, concentrated on Channing Tatum, ended the reunion scenes at the halfway mark, and trailed his character Jake for the next three months to see if his life changed from the reunion.

100 Minutes. Rated PG-13.

DRAMA / SEXY IMAGES / WEEKEND VIEWING DEBAUCHERY

Film Cousins: “Beautiful Girls” (1996); “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” (1997); “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (2008); “American Reunion” (2012).

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Sean Chavel

About The Author / Sean Chavel

Sean Chavel is a Hollywood based author and movie reviewer. He is the Executive Director of flickminute.com, a new website that has adapted the movie review site genre by introducing moodbased and movie experience based reviews.

 

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