Main cast: Jay Mohr (Lieutenant Dale Stillman), Chuma Hunter-Gault (Jimmy), Ron Canada (Wally), M Emmet Walsh (Gus), David Paymer (Jim Osgoode), Valerie Mahaffey (Sally Osgoode), Brittany Tiplady (Janey Osgoode), and Henry Rollins (The Host)
Directors: Thomas J Wright and Bryan Spicer
Hollywood people sure love to make “satires” of US Presidents and their wasteful wars, and Reunion gives a weak whack to George W Bush.
I can’t wait for these people to give it good to Barrack Obama for the drone wars or to Joe Biden for the numerous wars he’d started in just four years… oh wait, Hollywood only pretends to have a conscience when they want to give the middle finger to Republican presidents.
That aside, the story is as predictable as the double standards of Hollywood. Decorated Gulf War veteran Dale Stillman attends a reunion with his army buddies at a tavern, only to be haunted by his wartime experiences. Yes, the reunion is not what it seems, and Dale has a predictable secret that he is hiding from everyone.
Still, despite the predictable so-done-to-death story, this one is alright. It’s well acted and well-paced, just don’t expect to be taken by surprise by anything here.
The next story, Neighborwood Watch, however, is a head-scratcher.
Somehow, a note arrives at an idyllic suburban neighborhood informing everyone that there is a child sex offender that has just moved in among them, and Jim Osgoode leads to charge to lynch the guy stated at the address in the note. Mind you, they don’t really know what the fellow looks like or anything, they just the gun all in the name of protecting their kids.
Gee, I wonder what can go wrong here…
This one is as predictable as the previous segment, but it is also so heavy handed that it quickly moves from okay to outright cringe. There is a preachy, hammy afterschool PSA vibe to this that is only made more absurd by the overacting from the cast members.
I do get a laugh out of the cheery “So sorry for the inconvenience!” line in the the inevitable “Oops, we sent you the wrong address, LOL!” letter from the cops, but for the most part, I am just glad this segment is over and I can stop feeling like I’ve sat through a long sermon at the church of Hollywood.
The first one is alright, the second is yikes, and the average of both would give two and a half oogies. I suppose I can be generous and give this one three oogies, but I’d also recommend one to stop after the first segment to spare themselves the discomfort of feeling second-hand embarrassment for everyone involved in the following one.
