A Reunion

Why was Tucumcari (NM), titled as "TUCUMCARL"? WTF?! How could no one catch this?! Acting was decent, scenery good, although it seemed they weren't putting man miles each day. The story never seemed to take off. No "pop" the entire movie.

Despite the fact that his character ("Michael") is really quite irritating, Michael Lovan delivers the role really quite skilfully here as he sets off on a road trip with his reluctant friend "Josh" (Josh Watson) for a reunion with college friends they haven't seen for years. It is clear from the start that there is some baggage here, with the latter man more reserved whilst his floppy-haired companion prattles on relentlessly to the point where an ejector seat might prove an essential at the car hire company. Their meeting with one of their erstwhile friends and her new husband goes particularly badly then a bid of shocking news upsets their apple cart well and truly. Thing is. Can they salvage anything? Is there actually anything worth salvaging? Well the short answer would have to be no, not really. The plot is undercooked right from the start, the nature of their relationship completely lacks context or plausibility and there's precious little chemistry on offer between two men whom you'd have to reckon would never be each other's "type" on a desert island. The production can't have had much of a budget but that's not really an excuse for the mediocre and uninspiring standard of the dialogue though it might explain why the denouement is rushed, incomplete and certainly not interesting enough to merit "A Reunion II". Average all round, sorry.

There is no beginning and there ain't no end, just a middle here. A middle, a snapshot - very much like the journey the protagonists take, cutting through into the middle.

The movie is visually stunning. The stops along the way are beautiful. LA, Death valley, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Rt 66, Grants, Tucumari (misspelled in the movie as another reviewer pointed out), Amarillo, Tulsa, Stanton, St Louis, Chicago.

However, one fails to connect to either lead. There is no backstory on who they are, what they do. All we get are a lot of words, but none that makes us like/dislike/form an opinion.

From the beginning one can see that Josh definitely likes touching Michael more. He is more wooden in his acting and wish there was more feeling to his attraction to Michael. But when he explains his fears to Michael (towards the middle of the film), we see a small glimpse into who he is, before it is shut off again, permanently.

Michael, though he does more of the talking and is more exuberant, shows us nothing of his inner workings. He opens up just enough to keep the viewer, and perhaps Josh, interested, never letting on who he really is or wants.

What a cute, endearing movie. Lots of laughs, carefree behavior, a road trip from LA to Chicago, with some secret stops along the way. I like the indie feel of it, great acting, compelling characters. I live in Chicago, the ending was great to see my beautiful city captured through different eyes.

I don't understand why there are no reviews of this movie. It was quite entertaining and even endearing, although sometimes too wordy. The locations were great, perhaps because I've been to some/most of them. Most of the dialogue was realistic, as well as the acting. I'd like to see A Reunion II.