Vera and Martha sitting in armchairs listening to someone speaking to them in Wake Up Dead Man.Image via Netflix
By
Billy Fellows
Published 18 minutes ago
Billy is a Senior Features Author for Collider. Having written over 300 articles in just over a year, Billy regularly covers the biggest TV shows and films releasing while also analysing some of the most underrated properties that may slip your attention.
Having studied for an MA in Screenwriting at UAL in 2023, Billy honed his writing skills and also developed his ability to critique the work of other creative minds.
Before that, Billy studied politics at the University of Nottingham, which helped him to bring nuanced and scholarly analysis to the frameworks within which filmmakers and writers have framed their thematic messages.
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Rian Johnson's original Knives Out was an instant success when it was released in 2019, and it's not hard to see why. It revitalized the murder mystery genre which was thought to be past its peak. Audiences were unenthusiastic about more Agatha Christie adaptations and a lack of original ideas within the genre. Johnson changed this, with interesting commentaries on society and entertaining character dynamics brought to life by a all-star cast, even making fun of the convoluted nature of such plots with the title Glass Onion.
Johnson's influence is evident in the number of films within the genre that have emerged, each attempting to find its own distinctive approach, seemingly inspired by his work. One of these projects is 2024's Reunion, and it's the perfect film to watch to get you ready for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. This Chris Nelson-directed flick takes a more relaxed and comedic approach to the murder mystery that isn't designed to be as clever as Knives Out, but instead a harmless bit of fun that still keeps the audience guessing throughout.
What is 'Reunion' About?
Reunion focuses on Billy Magnussen's Evan, a police officer who attends a high school reunion with his best friend, Ray (Lil Rel Howery). When a snowstorm traps them and a group of former classmates at the reunion, with the host, Chace Crawford's Matthew, found dead the next morning, everyone becomes a suspect, with all the characters possessing a possible motive for wanting Matthew dead. It's an incredibly simple premise, yet the setting of a high school reunion is what immediately gets the viewer to buy into the narrative.
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Posts By Jennie RichardsonEveryone knows that feeling. You're seeing people whom you haven't seen in a long time, and you want to present the best version of yourself, whether that's to impress a former crush or rub it in the faces of past bullies. Evan and Ray, as two people who never left their hometown and appear unremarkable, feel instantly relatable to the audience, with their insecurities transporting them, and the audience, right back to high school. Throwing these subtle interpersonal dynamics in with the high stakes of a murderer amongst them opens the door for anything to occur, making Reunion thoroughly unpredictable.
'Reunion' Features a Stacked Cast of Oddballs
The cast of reunion on a staircaseImage via Republic Pictures
As you may have already guessed, having seen the names of Game Night's Magnussen, The Boys' Crawford, and Get Out's Howery, Reunion takes a leaf from Knives Out in giving the audience a cast of recognizable faces to feel comfortable with, making it a breeze to watch. This also makes the wide range of characters feel extra colorful, as each actor brings their presence to the role. Nina Dobrev plays a bully-turned-congresswoman, and her star power is felt as she treats everyone around her with dismissive arrogance. On top of this, Jamie Chung excels as the girl-next-door love interest of Evan, Jasmine. Jillian Bell brings her classic manic energy to the bullied Vivian, who everyone blames at first, and Michael Hitchcock plays the role of Mr Buckley with the same unsettling and odd humor that he has brought to many of his roles.
What this does is it creates a constantly conflicting dynamic to the rather basic narrative, allowing us to ignore some of the plot's weaker aspects and focus on how much we enjoy seeing this group of characters interact. It is the definition of a comfort watch, and it means that every scene features a shining comedic moment from this crew of comedic misfits.
'Reunion' Takes a Sillier Approach to the Murder Mystery Than 'Knives Out'
This collection of comedic actors allows Reunion to take a far sillier approach than most murder mysteries do. Rather than the master investigator, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who is funny yet still remarkably competent, none of these characters are detectives, and the actors purposefully play them with an air of incompetence. Even Evan, a police officer, instinctively leaves the crime scene undisturbed, waiting for someone more qualified to handle it. This puts the audience in the investigation with the characters, rather than feeling on the outside, reacting to someone figuring it out. There is the sense that the viewer could solve the mystery before any of the characters, creating a perceived sense of dramatic irony throughout and a more interactive experience where the audience can judge how characters react to the clues.
If you're going into Reunion expecting the same level of in-depth analysis of both the genre and society seen in Knives Out, then you will inevitably be let down, simply because that is not what Reunion is seeking to do. Its one goal is to entertain the audience with a fun mystery and a hilarious band of misfits. When you judge the film by these standards, it succeeds with flying colors, and serves to show how the genre can produce a vast range of narratives and dynamics, which should get you thoroughly in the mood for Wake Up Dead Man.
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Reunion
R
Comedy
Mystery
Release Date
October 6, 2023
Runtime
90 Minutes
Director
Chris Nelson
Writers
Jake Emanuel, Willie Block
Cast
See All-
Lil Rel Howery
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Billy Magnussen
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Jillian Bell
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Nina Dobrev
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
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Chace Crawford
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