Movie with Abe: 10 Years

10 Years
Directed by James Linden
Released September 14, 2012 / DVD December 18, 2012

This film’s title doesn’t leave much to the imagination. At a ten-year high school reunion, a diverse cast of characters is brought back together to revisit old memories and relationships. Among the cast are a number of familiar faces, all with remarkably different resumes. Rather than have the actors portray their younger selves in flashbacks and show how much they’ve changed in a decade, “10 Years” chooses to show only their present-day activities, gradually revealing secrets of the past throughout the film. Without knowing anything about these characters and with just over 100 minutes to get to know them, it’s hard to feel empathy for any of the broadly defined character tropes. The film seems somewhat trapped in the mindset of the characters it’s featuring, stuck in high school mode and unable to dream more creatively of how the classmates might have turned out. Some storylines, like the one featuring famous musician Oscar Isaac and his longtime crush Kate Mara, are more effective than others, like Aubrey Plaza’s displeasure at learning of her husband’s high school behavior and Chris Pratt’s overzealous attempts to make up for his days as a bully. The childish relationship between Justin Long and Max Minghella is meant to be the film’s comedic core, but it too falls flat. Channing Tatum and Rosario Dawson take center stage as a couple separated by circumstances and now both in serious relationships, a plotline whose resolution is obvious from its start. This comedy had some potential, but trying to incorporate too large an ensemble leaves it an unsatisfying, crowded movie without any truly memorable moments.

C-