Moviefone Editorial

Tag: The Afterparty

  • Movie Review: ‘Reunion’

    Lil Rel Howery, Jillian Bell, Nina Dobrev, Michael Hitchcock and Jamie Chung in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Lil Rel Howery, Jillian Bell, Nina Dobrev, Michael Hitchcock and Jamie Chung in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Available on digital beginning June 28th, ‘Reunion’ feels more like it escaped rather than released, and the results clearly speak as to why.

    Despite some game performances from usually funny people, the movie can’t overcome the stale feeling that this is a half-hearted stab at both being a comedy and murder mystery that offers little in the way of invention.

    Related Article: Lil Rel Howery Talks Comedy Mystery ‘Reunion’ and Working with the Cast

    Is ‘Reunion’ Worth Attending?

    Michael Hitchcock, Jillian Bell, Nina Dobrev, Jamie Chung and Lil Rel Howery in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Michael Hitchcock, Jillian Bell, Nina Dobrev, Jamie Chung and Lil Rel Howery in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    It is tempting to suggest that ‘Reunion’ was birthed when someone watched the Apple TV+ comedy thriller series ‘The Afterparty’ (created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and boasting both clever plotting and a quality cast) and decided, “we could do that, but on a skimpier budget.” Yet this “new” release was actually filmed back in 2021, so at least it has that in its defense.

    Still, any cinematic prosecutor could still point to the fact that it has mostly sat on a shelf since then, finally seeing a quiet release on digital initially overseas back in April. Can you, hand on heart, truly say you knew this was actually coming out?

    And if that sounds overly negative, the movie itself is not without entertainment value, but that’s mostly thanks to a cast who throw themselves into trying to make some mostly unfunny, not-so-thrilling material work.

    Script and Direction

    Cassandra Blair in 'Reunion'.
    Cassandra Blair in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Written by Willie Block and Jake Emanuel, this new murder mystery recycles many of the tropes you might expect from the genre. It gathers a group together (in this case, a 20-year high school reunion), introduces the various personalities and starts to reveal the bubbling resentments among the former school mates. Some have gone on to big success, others are struggling to get their lives in order, one is a weird creepy type… You’ll honestly end up feeling like you’ve seen and heard it all before, just in vague variations.

    And once the murder mystery kicks in (cue a power failure and a prime target ending up dead), things don’t improve by much, going through the motions of spotlighting potential suspects before wrapping it all up with some final twists you’ll likely see coming anyway.

    Director Chris Nelson has mostly specialized in romantic comedies, and has an eye for a solid comedy cast, which is one of the few saving graces here. For the most part, the movie’s style is basic, letting the performances carry it. Yet there are moments where the editing in particular is sloppy, certain scenes coming out of nowhere with little context.

    Performances

    Lil Rel Howery, Jillian Bell, Billy Magnussen, Nina Dobrev, Chace Crawford, Jamie Chung and Michael Hitchcock in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Lil Rel Howery, Jillian Bell, Billy Magnussen, Nina Dobrev, Chace Crawford, Jamie Chung and Michael Hitchcock in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    ‘Reunion’, as we’ve previously mentioned, has some known and respected comedy talents, but rarely uses them as well as it might.

    Lil Rel Howery as Ray Hammond

    Lil Rel Howery in 'Reunion'.
    Lil Rel Howery in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Lil Rel Howery leans into his usual nervy, enthusiastic style, playing Ray, whose life hasn’t ended up where he might like. He’s not as successful, he’s still single and overall he’s looking at the reunion as a change to both fix the mistakes of the past and forge a better future. He’s our real way into the story, but even in Howery’s hands, Ray isn’t a particularly watchable personality. There are odd moments such as him taping beer bottles to his hands, which seems out of character for him.

    Billy Magnussen as Evan West

    Billy Magnussen, and Jamie Chung in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Billy Magnussen, and Jamie Chung in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Billy Magnussen’s Evan is a former high school football star still nursing bitterness over an injury that ended his potential career even before it began. These days, he’s a local cop, and still friends with Ray (though their connection can be fractious) and has his own reasons for attending the event. Magnussen certainly gives his all to the role, but he’s often left struggling.

    Jamie Chung as Jasmine Park

    Jamie Chung in 'Reunion'.
    Jamie Chung in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Jamie Chung plays a reporter who went to school with the others and had her own issues during her time there. She’s a reliably funny and charming performer here, but despite a little depth added later on, doesn’t have too much to go on and mostly sparks off of Magnussen and Howery.

    Chace Crawford as Mathew Danbury

    Chace Crawford in 'Reunion'.
    Chace Crawford in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Chase Crawford, who has proved his comedy chops many times over on ‘The Boys’ as The Deep is here left with a mostly shallow character to embody. He does what he can to make the wealthy Matthew a slightly sleazy but still charismatic type.

    Jillian Bell as Vivian Chase

    Jillian Bell can always be relied upon to make smaller roles work (though these days she also tends to take bigger parts) and here, as Vivian she’s saddled with a fairly straightforward quirky outsider character, and she stays watchable despite the flaccid script.

    Jillian Bell and Michael Hitchcock in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Jillian Bell and Michael Hitchcock in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Michael Hitchcock as Theodore Buckley

    Playing the bitter, drunken history teacher, Michael Hitchcock, like Bell, is a scene stealer when it comes to supporting roles. And honestly, the movie is lucky to have him.

    Nina Dobrev as Amanda Tanner

    Jillian Bell, Michael Hitchcock, Nina Dobrev and Jamie Chung in 'Reunion'.
    (L to R) Jillian Bell, Michael Hitchcock, Nina Dobrev and Jamie Chung in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    Nina Dobrev is perhaps more of a surprise since she comes from more of a dramatic background. But she has comedy experience, and here is solid as the sociopathic (literally, she self-admits that), ambitious political type who offers a different flavor from the rest of the cast.

    Final Thoughts

    Jillian Bell in 'Reunion'.
    Jillian Bell in ‘Reunion’. Photo: Republic Pictures.

    ‘Reunion’ really doesn’t offer a whole lot that is fresh. Some of the jokes and character dynamics work, but for the most part, this is a minor entry in both the comedy and murder mystery canon.

    You don’t need to be Poirot to figure out while this one died on its feet and got stuck in release limbo.

    ‘Reunion’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.

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    What is the plot of ‘Reunion’?

    ‘Reunion’ features a wild ride of twists and turns when a high school reunion gets cut short by murder. Trapped in a snowbound mansion, they race to uncover which one of their old classmates is the killer before they’re all iced out for good.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Reunion’?

    • Lil Rel Howery as Ray Hammond
    • Billy Magnussen as Evan West
    • Jillian Bell as Vivian Chase
    • Jamie Chung as Jasmine Park
    • Michael Hitchcock as Mr. Theodore Buckley
    • Dianne Doan as Lisa Danbury
    • Cassandra Blair as Meagan Cooper
    • Nina Dobrev as Amanda Tanner
    • Chace Crawford as Mathew Danbury
    Lil Rel Howery talks 'Reunion'.
    Lil Rel Howery talks ‘Reunion’.

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  • TV Review: ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2

    Tiffany Haddish in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    Tiffany Haddish in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Launched with the first two episodes on Apple TV+, the second season of ‘The Afterparty’ manages to take the story in interesting new directors while also maintaining what made the first so entertaining.

    Created by Chris Miller and produced by Miller alongside regular creative partner Phil Lord, ‘The Afterparty’ has the clever conceit of presenting the events of the story from the different points of view of the various characters, all portrayed in different genres.

    And while the new season doesn’t have the frisson of a new idea in quite the same way, there is still plenty of freshness here.

    What’s the story of ‘The Afterparty’s second season?

    Zoë Chao and Sam Richardson in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Zoë Chao and Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    The story picks up with Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Zoë (Zoë Chao), now a couple, having made it through the murder mystery that sprang up during the afterparty of a high school reunion.

    It’s a year later and the pair are attending the wedding of Zoë’s sister Grace (Poppy Liu), who is getting married to wealthy tech type Edgar (Zach Woods) at his family’s expansive estate north of San Francisco.

    Aniq fails to make a good impression his girlfriend’s family, but that pales in comparison when Edgar is discovered dead the morning after the wedding (along with his pet lizard, Roxana).

    Soon, accusations are being thrown around and skeletons from the past on all sides are coming to light. Aniq contacts Detective Danner –– or rather former Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) –– who cracked the case in the first season (and is now trying to write a book about the experience) to come and solve the new murder mystery.

    Who else appears in ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2?

    Jack Whitehall and John Cho in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Jack Whitehall and John Cho in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Season two boasts a new group of characters including Edgar’s adopted sister Hannah (Anna Konkle), his widowed mother Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), and business partner Sebastian (Jack Whitehall); Grace and Zoë’s parents Feng (Ken Jeong) and Vivian (Vivian Wu), as well as their long-estranged world-travelling uncle Ulysses (John Cho); and Grace’s ex-boyfriend Travis (Paul Walter Hauser).

    Related Article: Producers Phil Lord, Cristopher Miller and Cast Talk ‘The Afterparty’

    Is ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 an event worth attending?

    Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, John Cho, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong and Zoë Chao in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, John Cho, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong and Zoë Chao in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    As we mentioned, the idea of splitting the episodes between the various characters’ viewpoints and utilizing a different genre for each one is no longer as fresh and new as the first, but the show’s creative team has worked hard to make it feel different and worthwhile rather than a retread.

    Part of that is rounding up a superb new ensemble to bring the characters to life, with the highlights including Cho as the worldly, weird uncle that Zoë and Grace idolized as youngsters, but haven’t seen for years after he fell out with their parents. His re-introduction to their lives (organized by Edgar and Sebastian) is a fantastic showcase for Cho, who has rarely gotten to play such a flamboyant, weird character.

    Jeong is also great –– a picky shaved ice magnate (he’s quick to point out that it’s Taiwanese rather than Hawaiian) –– gives him a chance to do the sort of shouty, nervy character who works well playing against the others.

    Woods’ Edgar has his own set of quirks; a painfully socially awkward genius whose closest companion is his pet reptile, and while it might come across as the character he played or some he interacted with on ‘Silicon Valley’, he brings something new to this role. Kudos also to the effects team bringing Roxana the lizard to life –– she’s almost as much of a character as she is.

    Among the genres the season offers are Jane Austen-style period drama (for Grace’s story of how she met and fell for Edgar and her worries that Zoë isn’t on board with their whirlwind romance), and one set within the word of TikTok and other social media trends.

    And a breakout hit of the season to come is the episode focused on Danner investigating a different case. We won’t go into any big spoilers but suffice to say that fans of 1980s and 1990s thrillers (and food) will heartily enjoy the craziness on display. You can also expect to see a spoof of heist movies and 1950s melodrama.

    Through it all, Haddish and Richardson provide reliable anchors –– he all nervous energy and trying to do what’s right, she the quick-thinking, smack-talking type who knows that everyone lies at some point.

    There are the same level of twists and turns this time around, the various viewpoints providing different laughs and the emotional quotient remaining high. These are characters you’ll enjoy getting to know and figuring out who might have dangerous motives and reasons to wish Edgar harm.

    It also generates plenty of knowing stories about the tensions both within Asian families and towards them –– at one point Jeong’s Feng points out that white people clustered whispering is never a good thing.

    Lord and Miller have long proved to be skilled at taking comedy and genre and twisting them together, and ‘The Afterparty’ continues to be a great example of that.

    ‘Afterparty’ problems?

    Poppy Liu and Zach Woods in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Poppy Liu and Zach Woods in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Not every genre pick is quite as effective, which means you might find yourself going from an episode you truly enjoy to one that only offers minor chuckles.

    Yet this is the only real issue with the new show, which has made a successful return to Apple’s streaming service and marks one of the best comedies on TV at the moment. The only other problem you could have is with the weekly drip feed release schedule –– your patience might be taxed waiting for each episode of the remaining eight to drop, but it’s worth it.

    And the only guarantee we can’t give is that the show sticks the landing this time and resolves the mystery effectively, as critics were not provided with the crucial final episode. But on the evidence of the season so far and the great quality of the first, we have faith.

    ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 receives 8 out of 10 stars.

    Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Perkins in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Perkins in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

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  • ‘The Afterparty’ Exclusive Interviews

    (L to R) Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Tiffany Haddish, Tiya Sircar, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Chao, and Ike Barinholtz in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    (L to R) Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Tiffany Haddish, Tiya Sircar, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Chao, and Ike Barinholtz in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

    Premiering January 28th on Apple TV+ is the new murder mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty,’ from Oscar winning producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’).

    The series features an impressive cast of comedic actors that include Tiffany Haddish (‘Girls Trip’), Sam Richardson (‘The Tomorrow War’), Ben Schwartz (‘Sonic the Hedgehog’), Zoe Chao (‘The High Note’), Ike Barinholtz (‘Suicide Squad’), Ilana Glazer (‘Rough Night’), and Dave Franco (‘The Disaster Artist’).

    ‘The Afterparty’ revolves around a murder that takes place at a high school reunion after party, and each episode is told from a different character’s point of view. Lord and Miller serve as executive producers and both co-wrote several episodes, with Miller also directing the entire series.

    Moviefone recently had a chance to speak with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller about their new Apple TV+ series, as well as some of the cast from ‘The Afterparty’ Including Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Zoe Chao, Ike Barinholtz, Dave Franco, and Ilana Glazer.

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    Below you can read our full interview with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller about ‘The Afterparty,’ or you can watch the complete set of interviews in the video player above.

    Moviefone: Chris, can you begin by talking about the genesis of the idea for the series, and also deciding to have each episode focus on a different character’s point of view?

    Christopher Miller: It was a little over a decade ago that I had the idea to tell a murder mystery in a Rashomon style where each suspect would tell their version of the evening and it would be wildly different from the other ones. We were going to make it, we wrote it as a movie, and then we got busy making ‘The Lego Movie’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ and whatnot.

    But when we got a breath of air, we revisited it and thought this would work better as a series because in a movie, you didn’t have time to really dig to each character. But as a series, you could give each character their own episode and really understand them as more complex characters. You could really learn to empathize and love each of them, and hope that they didn’t do it. So, as that was evolving, we realized that to push their style of storytelling, stylistically and thematically, we can make each episode feel like a different genre of filmmaking and storytelling.

    Then it evolved even farther, and we got an amazing writing staff full of really cool people. With the structure and outline already intact, they were able to turn it into something really special. But it was a really mind exploding process because if you’re working on episode four and you want to change something there, it affects everything in all the other episodes. So, you have to keep the whole thing in your head like this giant machinery of a massive clock in your head. It would really explode people’s heads from time to time.

    MF: Phil, was making a murder mystery something you always wanted to do?

    Phil Lord: I think Chris and I are fans of ‘Clue,’ ‘The Last of Sheila’ and ‘Murder by Death.’ There’s a long proud history of mixing comedy and murder and we’ve always been interested in what’s a unique way to pull that off. Chris had been developing this as a script for a long time for a feature. When he thought of the idea of breaking it into episodes, and then each of those episodes would have its own filmmaking style and you would get to know each of these characters even more deeply, that’s when it really took off for us and felt like it was going to be worth doing.

    MF: Phil, because each episode contains events seen from different characters perspectives, can you talk about how production actually worked?

    PL: So, the whole show, more or less, we batch shot it. Meaning that we would shoot a scene in a hallway that was like a fun rom-com and then, “Okay everyone, let’s go to lunch, we’ll come back and now it’s a dark thriller.” That’s part of the fun of it, honestly, but the poor actors did need a second to switch modes.

    MF: Chris, can you talk about the impressive cast of actors you assembled and the challenges for them with the different tones in each episode?

    CM: We got so lucky to get like a real murderer’s row, pun intended, of comedy geniuses. What was especially great about all of them is that so many of them are writers, filmmakers or show creators in their own rights. So, they really were smart about also holding this whole show in their heads, because asking an actor to be able to just do a character is one thing, but to do a character with eight different shadings of that character is a really big ask. It has to be people who are really smart and savvy, and luckily, they all were amazing, and they added so much to it. We all had a great time together and it was a real love fest. You could really feel the chemistry and joy on the screen.

    (L to R) Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    (L to R) Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

  • TV Review: ‘The Afterparty’

    (L to R) Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    (L to R) Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

    Premiering January 28th on Apple TV+ is the new murder mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty,’ from the creative minds of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’). The series features an impressive cast of comedic actors including Tiffany Haddish (‘Girls Trip’), Sam Richardson (‘The Tomorrow War’), Ben Schwartz (‘Sonic the Hedgehog’), Zoe Chao (‘The High Note’), Ike Barinholtz (‘Suicide Squad’), Ilana Glazer (‘Rough Night’), and Dave Franco (‘The Disaster Artist’).

    The eight-part series revolves around a murder that takes place at a high school reunion after party, and each episode is told from a different character’s perspective. The result is an innovative and hilarious whodunit with a charming cast led by Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson and Ben Schwartz.

    The series begins by introducing us to Aniq (Richardson), who is reluctantly attending his high school reunion in hopes of seeing the girl he had a crush on, Zoe (Chao). He first finds his friend Yasper (Schwartz), before eventually reuniting with Zoe. He is delighted to find that she is recently separated from Brett (Barinholtz), who Aniq thinks took her from him when they were in high school. But Aniq’s good time with Zoe is interrupted by the arrival of Xavier (Franco), who was a nerd in high school but is now a famous pop star and actor.

    Trouble begins when Xavier invites everyone over to his mansion for an after party, and he is soon murdered by one of his guests. Enter Detective Danner (Haddish), who suspects Aniq of the murder and questions him about the events of the night. Soon, everyone becomes a suspect and while Danner investigates and questions the other guests, Yasper tries to help Aniq clear his name.

    Sam Richardson in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

    After seeing their previous work, including the Oscar winning animated movie ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ it’s no surprise that a new streaming series from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller would be fresh, funny, and completely unique.

    A high school reunion is a perfect backdrop for a comedic mystery and the characters are both over-the-top yet very relatable. The choice to center each episode on a particular character’s point of view of the evening’s events was brilliant, as it allows each character to come alive in a different way, and lets the actors play different versions of their characters.

    The ensemble cast is excellent, led by Tiffany Haddish as the outsider investigating the murder, Detective Danner. Haddish brings her own brand of humor to the series, while never overshadowing the plot or the other actors. She is especially excellent in the penultimate episode, where her character’s backstory is finally revealed.

    Sam Richardson is really the anchor of the series, as Aniq is the main character that we are rooting for to not only clear his name but win back Zoe’s heart as well. Richardson plays the role a bit nerdish, which is where the real comedy comes in. Equally great is Ben Schwartz as Aniq’s friend Yasper, who gets to perform a full-on musical during his character specific episode.

    Tiffany Haddish in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    Tiffany Haddish in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

    Dave Franco is also hilarious as pop star Xavier, who ends up being the murder victim. The actor plays his character like an arrogant, insecure jerk, who you sympathize with once his backstory is revealed. Franco does some of his best work channeling a Justin Bieber/Machine Gun Kelly type character. Another funny character is Jamie Demetriou’s Walt, who is the guy from high school that no one remembers, which leads to some hilarious moments.

    Comedian Ike Barinholtz was perfectly cast as Brett, the high school bully who rivals Aniq for Zoe’s affection. The actor plays the role of a real jerk, but also shows us a bit of his character’s vulnerable side throughout the first season. Ilana Glazer, best known for her Comedy Central series ‘Broad City,’ has some great moments playing the pivotal role of Chelsea, a character that has more going on under the surface than it first appears.

    However, if there is a weak link in the cast, unfortunately its Zoe Chao, who plays Zoe. Her character never really rises to the level that you understand why Aniq, and Brett for that matter, care for her so much. Her character’s point-of-view episode helps to explain her different personalities with some really entertaining animation, but it doesn’t come until the sixth episode, which is a little late in the season to finally make the character interesting.

    One of the great aspects of ‘The Afterparty,’ which is baked into the Rashomon concept, is that nothing is as it seems. So, truly any character, even Aniq or Detective Danner, could be the murderer! My money is on Yasper, who just seems a little too nice, and a little too eager to help Aniq clear his name. But I also think it’s possible that Xavier is not dead, which could be the season’s big twist.

    Dave Franco in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    Dave Franco in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+

    Full disclosure, critics were only given the first seven episodes to screen, so your guess is as good as mine as to who the true killer is.

    In the end, ‘The Afterparty’ is a true joy to watch, and a murder-mystery-comedy on level with classics from the genre like ‘Clue.’ Lord and Miller have assembled a marvelous cast, which is truly a pleasure to watch. The characters are both ridiculous and relatable, and the show’s unique concept makes it a series that you won’t want to miss.

    ‘The Afterparty’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.

    (L to R) Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Tiffany Haddish, Tiya Sircar, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Chao, and Ike Barinholtz in 'The Afterparty' on Apple TV+
    (L to R) Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou, Ben Schwartz, John Early, Tiffany Haddish, Tiya Sircar, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Chao, and Ike Barinholtz in ‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+