10 Years Synopsis: Former high-school friends meet again at their ten year high school reunion and discover that the passage of time has changed some things, but not others.
A group of former friends reconvene for their high school reunion, leading to an evening of revealing, bittersweet, and awkward moments. As with most reunion movies, it’s chock full of high school stereotypes: the obnoxious bully, the nerds, the party girl, that one guy who became famous, and the couple that was supposed to go the distance.
10 Years is predictable enough. The bully seeks redemption; unrequited crushes come to light; spouses are introduced to the high school side of their significant other that they may not have been aware of, etc.
This movie has quite a few actors who were still up and coming at the time: Channing Tatum, Kate Mara, Max Minghella, Chris Pratt, Oscar Isaac, etc. But a film with a large ensemble can feel bloated with underdeveloped characters. But I have to say, in 10 Years, the large cast isn’t a hindrance at all.
Yes, there are some stories that I would have preferred to see more of over others (Oscar Isaac and Kate Mara’s chemistry loaded Reeves and Elise, for one), but I felt like the movie gave a fair amount of time to each subplot, making each character interesting enough that I never felt the need to skip past any of them.
The dialogue felt natural, and the actors had enough laid-back rapport with one another that it was easy to believe they had all known one another for years. There are some humorous and touching moments as well, and admittedly, it did trigger a bit of nostalgia for me, though my own high school reunion had nowhere near as many beautiful people as Lake Howell’s.
Given my constant disappointment with similar flicks, 10 Years was a nice surprise. It’s an entertaining movie with an impressive cast. And are you really going to say no to watching Oscar Isaac sing? No, you’re not.
Watched: 09/14/2018
Notable Song: Never Had by Oscar Isaac
