There's little story and everything else in this relatively big Star Cinema prod, but it needs not to be unacceptable. The Reunion is triumphant in building up a premise; it's also triumphant in gradually destroying that.
Frasco Mortiz's directorial debut-feature is a story that follows four young men, most of them are of samey fates. There's Lloyd (Enchong Dee, I Do), a graphics artist whose expertise is practically printing photos in mugs and platters. There are also two guys: Boggs (Enrique Gil, Way Back Home), an unnecessarily "successful" realtor; and Joaquin (Xian Lim), a bellboy in a hotel. Additionally, Pat (Kean Cipriano, Praybeyt Benjamin) is to be found, a hopeful to walk his way to stardom.
See, they use to be the "cool" ones in high school. At least that's based on their thinking. Had they known, that their future will be this much of a crap, they wouldn't help Julie (a cameo role played by Alodia Goisengfiao) in finding her earring inside her auto.
High school principal spots their indiscretion of sexual activity, which we all know is unintended and for that matter "sexual activity" nonexistent, and thrusts them into his office and since then, the four seemed to have the life they are having now. Weighty of all, they were dumped by their girlfriends.
Somehow, they've had this ridiculous idea that if Lloyd gets back together with his girlfriend Ara (Christine Reyes, No Other Woman), their lives will be better (for some unknown reason?). The four, as dumb as the story could go, plots a mission to find Ara and theoretically, make things right.
Agonizing acts from leads Lim, Gil, Dee and Cipriano were already a burden. Dee is required lesser than what he could do, but he does even lesser. Gil's on kind of the same boat. Lim is a wooden actor. And Cipriano, while an ample source of light, does nothing plausible with his acting. But the script is also mediocre, if not underwritten.
Gaping plot holes and discrepancies are to be found in many areas of the pic, so it's perfectly understandable many critics will tell it's too ridiculous to believe in. I've long comprehended that the movie is indeed like that, and the script was a bit messy...albeit, Mortiz tells it with unlimited amount of energy.
While many of the lead characters are bland and easily forgettable (Dee always marks in the mind, the rest of the leads doesn't make impression, of which character remains are crispy in texture).
If there are people to commend in here, they are the estrogen(s). Jessy Mendiola (she plays Ali, Lloyd's bestfriend), like her partner Dee, she is required less than what she can usually do, but this time, unlike Dee, she takes the film seriously, so people dig her, in return. Seriously. Julia Montez plays Boggs's girlfriend. Ms. Gina Pareño is the smart sari-sari store owner.
With acting that are on-and-off by default; messy and uneven script; and a lackluster in narrative ingenuity, The Reunion feels like a good-for-nothing Eraserheads tribute.
RATING: C
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