Monday, July 15, 2013

"The Reunion" is the Perfect Place to See Family You Can't Stand

You only hate the ones you love.

The Story:

Sam (John Cena) and Leo (Ethan Embry) are brothers who hate each other.  Sam's a cop...Leo's a bail bondsman.  They are brought back together by their sister, Nina(Amy Smart) when their father dies.  She introduces them to their half-brother, Douglas (Boyd Holbrook) whom they've never heard of, and who is a thief by trade.  Nina informs them that it was their dad's dying wish that the boys all work together in a family business, and if they could do that for 2 years, they would inherit a windfall.  However, Nina may not have actually been truthful with her brothers.

This could have been the turning point for WWE Films as a studio. 

Again, John Cena takes center stage, but they don't rely on him to carry the action of the film, like they did with him in The Marine.  Instead, they develop the other characters and have actual actors help shoulder the burden and allow Cena to simply be one of the characters, instead of "The Star".

The results?

Actually, a pretty amusing/dramatic action flick that knows when to have fun and when to build tension.  The interplay between the family works as they banter, bicker and flat out brawl.  However, like all families, when push comes to shove, only they have permission to pick on each other. 


That's how family works!

Granted, it's no Academy Award winner, but it's a 90 minute diversion of entertainment, and that is why they make movies.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  A definite rewatchable for me, and if I find it on sale, why not?

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