The Reunion (II) (2011) User Reviews

The Reunion: I was bamboozled!

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 17 March 2018]

I often watch literal pick & mix movies where I have no idea what is, not even the films name. Because of this I often watch some truly poor stuff, often stuff that isn't even on IMDB and I end up adding it myself.

All was going well, then suddenly John Cena pops up on screen. Let me be clear I'm a wrestling fan so maybe I'm bias but I truly cannot stand this human being so I immediatly expected bad things from The Reunion.

It did however have Amy Smart & Ethan Embry to counter balance the albino hulk so all hope was not lost.

It tells the story of four half siblings who are brought together through the death of their father and the adventure that it leads to.

The plot, not entirely original but it certainly has its moments and the writing is solid. Amy Smart alas is pretty wasted as she is a very bit part considering she's arguably the biggest name in the movie. No folks I'm not acknowledging Cena, he's a crappy wrestler who occasionally pops up in films, big wrestler....not so big actor.

This is another WWE films production and their films have been hit and miss since day one. They've done some really enjoyable ones and they've done some stinkers, this is somewhere inbetween.

If the "Doctor of Thuganomics" had been cast with you know.....someone who could act then maybe this would have been better. Regardless it's a decent enough effort.

The Good:

Some good cast choices

Couple of great moments

Solid writing

The Bad:

John Cena

Could have been a tad more original

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

One punch knocks out the average human being

I can't take Michael Rispoli seriously anymore, While You Were Sleeping (1995) and his shoe fetish has done irreparable damage

John Cena in a cowboy hat somehow looks even more ridiculous than usual, I'm surprised WWE aren't making garish colored ones and selling them as his merchandise.

It's not a bad story, but it's for Cena fans only.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 11 August 2016]

John Cena stars as the oldest of three bothers, whose father just died and creates a will that would make all three rich if they can get along together long enough to go into business together for two years.

It's sounds like a comedy, but Cena plays a cop while his brothers are a bail bonds man and a thief, who while trying to track down a skipped bail end up evolved in taking down kidnappers.

It reminds me of another movie, the Marine 3. It has the same format in which the WWE recruits one of it's superstars to head up one of their movies but the movie is littered with so much stuff that The wrestling superstar gets overshadowed a bit (as a safety net just in case he cannot hold the film down)

Although Cena is a way bigger attraction than The Miz, he was far more center stage in this movie and does not need as much help, but I guest they wanted to make sure as the film does have a lot of drama.

It's more complex: Three bothers who don't know each other well because of their drunken father, trying to get along, when they all got their own serious problems. A business man not paying attention to his son, cause he's too busy making cash, gets kidnapped by the people he screwed over, plus many more elements as the film goes on.

It's not that bad of a story, that adds dimensions to Cena's one track acting methods. He's not much of an actor but he stays in the Cena character, which is what you came for.

I wold have expected the focus on all three brothers would have met getting bigger names to play the other two brothers, but that's not what happen. Amy smart was the only other well known actor I see in the film, but her part its very small.

Otherwise it actually not a bad picture, better, definitely if you are a Cena fan.

http://cinemagardens.com/

Bloody awful

[Cinema_Love · 6/10 · 18 November 2011]

I'm a pure action fan, but i think John Cena only truly made one good film and it was Legendary, with stars such as Danny Glover who put this movie over very well... and it wasn't even an action film and he was intense, dramatic, and it was a short role. As a lead role, just like in wrestling when he's too much in main events, he bored many people. It's a true fact, many people chant ''Cena S/ck'' we never see this in the history for a non-heel character. A top pure face in fact. He always bring the same thing to the table, he's not bad, he's not good either ! He's above-average. With this film, i thought they can't do worse than Inside Out... with probably the worst non-actor (HHH) to ever do a film... well they do ! Forget this one ! Poor Amy Smart, she try to do something, but just like the terribly bad Dave Batista movie called ''House of the Rising Sun'', she can't do good with another wrestler either !! WWE Films should probably die just like the XFL Projects back in the day. The thing is that it continues to go bad to worse. It's an embarrassment to watch their movies.

Pretty good

[cm-albrecht · 20 November 2011]

When we think of WWE we think of yelling, threats, boasting, deception and all around monkey business, so when we realized this was a WWE film we didn't expect much. To our surprise, we found this to be very enjoyable romp. Plenty of action, humor and some pretty good lines in a plot that was just a bit different. Upon the death of their father, four siblings who have a mutual dislike for each other — make that can't stand one another — are forced to work together to a greater end. This opens the door to some pretty good situations. There were some good scenic shots too, along with with pretty girls and horses. What more do you want in a DVD?

Got a Little Cheesy and Predictable Towards the End

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 12 July 2016]

Upon the death of their father, three brothers named "Sam Carey" (John Cena), "Leo Carey" (Ethan Embry) and "Douglas Carey" (Boyd Holbrook) join their sister "Nina Carey" (Amy Smart) for the reading of his will. To their surprise they all find out that each of them have inherited $3 million dollars. However, as the executor of the will Nina tells them that receiving it is contingent upon all three of them forming a business and working together in it for 2 years. Although none of them like the idea, it just so happens that Leo is a bail bondsman who is liable for $250,000 for a crook named "Edgar Rodriguez" (Rio Alexander) who apparently has fled to Mexico. Since he doesn't have that kind of money he appeals to Sam (who is a policeman and has recently been suspended indefinitely for assault) and Douglas (who has just gotten out of prison) to go with him to Mexico to help retrieve Edgar. Since neither of them have anything better to do they reluctantly agree. Along the way they find out that Edgar may have been involved in the recent kidnapping of a billionaire and that there is a reward or $5 million to anybody who has information that leads to his rescue. Naturally, this interests them as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie started off really good. Unfortunately, it got a bit cheesy and predictable towards the end which left me somewhat disappointed. Even so, I suppose it was an okay film for the time spent and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Straight trash! Don't waste your time

[tonymars-63087 · 1/10 · 12 January 2020]

I wish I could've given this zero stars Bad script Bad acting Bad ending Bad everything.

A cliche american movie

[mike-c-b · 3/10 · 24 November 2019]

Hard to watch when every line and character performance is passive-aggressive and two dimensional. Every cheesy, cliche, american style line is said and it's intended to make one person look bigger than another... and if it doesn't have enough punch on it's own guns come out... If every character at least smiled at some point, the movie would be twice as good...

It's a good movie for a night in with a pizza

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 4 April 2017]

Okay, so there are no major movie stars featured, there is no 200 million dollar budget, and no, Steven Spielberg nor Martin Scorsese directed it. What The Reunion DOES have though is a nice story, so just remember it is a story and not a biography, and as such there are liberties taken with how lawyers behave, and how Mexicans seem to always miss their target and then get shot themselves.

Even with the films low budget by Hollywood standards of only 6 million dollars, I really liked The Reunion. This is a story about three brothers and one sister all who apparently were sired by the same brutish father who was a drunkard, and each by a different mother. The father dies and in his will he instructs for each of his four (4) children to inherit $3 million dollars with the caveat being that they must work together for a period for no less than two (2) years in a business of their choosing.

Actress Amy Smart plays Nina Carey, the daughter of the deceased father and also the executor of his will. Two of the three brothers namely Leo Carey played by Ethan Embry and Sam Carey played by wrestling star John Cena are polar opposites both in career choices and their physical stature. The third brother and youngest of the Carey family is Douglas Carey played by Boyd Holbrook a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but he plays the abandoned sibling who just got out of prison where he receives a standing ovation by all the prisoners who apparently really liked Douglas Carey because of his charming personality and his ability to relate to people.

Not only are the four Carey family members enjoyable in their roles, there is also a strong supporting cast such as the two gangsters who kidnap a wealthy businessmen. The two gangsters are studio actor regulars Michael Rispoli who plays Canton, a technology guru responsible for the ransom wire transfer, and his partner in crime named Nealon played by Jack Conley who is a former FBI agent and he is familiar how to execute a kidnapping successfully. The kidnapped wealthy businessman named Wills is played by character actor Gregg Henry.

During the adventure the three Carey brothers decide to rescue the kidnapped businessman Wills for the reward money and they gain the trust of a local Mexican resident the beautiful Theresa Trujillo played by Lela Loren who currently stars as Angela Valdes in the television crime/drama series POWER.

I also liked the story line and I thought writer/director Michael Pavone did a great job in bringing his picture to life with the very limited budget he had to work with. The film ending also has a few twists and turns worth hanging in there to see. This film is above par for crime/action films and I would rate it much higher than most crime/action films that have budgets more than ten times greater than The Reunion had to work with.

I will most likely watch this film again in the coming years with fondness and admiration. It is well worth watching and I for one was most pleasantly surprised. I give the film a 7 out of 10 rating.

I did not care for it

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 30 April 2023]

(2011) The Reunion ACTION/ ADVENTURE/ COMEDY

Written and directed by Michael Pavone that has three adult brothers, and a sister get an announcement that their father had just past away. The three brothers are Sam Carey (John Cena) who's just got suspended without pay from the police force, Leo (Ethan Embry) plays the gambler who also happens to be a bail bondsman, while the youngest brother, Douglas (Boyd Holbrook) had just came back from serving some time for being a thief on some joint, leaving only the sister Nina (Amy Smart) who's going through some bad breakups. They all get 'reunited' to go to their dads funeral, with a will that says that each of them will get 3 million dollars a piece if they were to spend some quality time with one another for two years, since they initially do not get along as soon as each of them saw one another. It's something like one dad, marrying three or four different times to three different mothers and each of them had at least one child. At first, they become reluctant with working with each other, until Leo the bailsman hears about one of his clients may have something to do with the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman, and that theirs a huge reward for his safe return. All three do eventually agree to work together including a young lady named Theresa (Lela Loren) who lives with her grandfather in Mexico where the wealthy businessman was originally brought into. The best scenes are probably during the time when they were working together in Mexico with the horses and so forth..., and the film doesn't do well on anything else. And the behind-the-scenes credits at the end was amusing, but still not entertaining enough to give this one a positive rating.

Happily Surprised

[icyfires-440-360433 · 7/10 · 10 September 2014]

I went in thinking this was going to be a check your brain at the door and hopefully enjoy the movie in spite of bad acting. Turns out this movie was really good. I went in with super low expectation. I like bad movies. I know that they are bad or cheap it does not mean I can't enjoy. However, this was well done funny, great characters, well-acted. Stuff blows up, people get shot and there are warm fuzzies. Eye candy for men and women. John Cena you surprised me I was expecting a big dummy. This is not Oscar worthy stuff, but still done well. I would have paid to see this in theaters. Sit back enjoy the ride and be happily surprised.

They blew up the Scout!

[wmwby · 1/10 · 23 November 2023]

People hate it when animals die in movies, but when that happens, it's not real, it's just movie magic and special effects.

Well I hate it when they destroy classic vehicles, especially when they are Internationals. In this movie they blow up a beautiful Scout II. Someone should be severely beaten for this atrocity. It completely ruined the movie for me. A Bronco rolled over, but I don't care much about those.

Other than that major laps in judgement, it's not a bad movie. I liked seeing the variety of firearms. The mini 14s were especially welcome.

There were some beautiful women, and some horses, that were worth seeing.

dysfunctional family learns to function

[lar_lef · 8/10 · 8 September 2017]

An enjoyable action/bonding film with brief anti-capitalist sub,sub plot, which could have been eliminated, but does no harm to the movie.

A film blessed with good dialogue, good acting; in short, an enjoyable romp that you can forget at once after seeing it, but while doing so fun to watch. And the Mexican girl who helps our heroes is pretty to watch; as per the fashion now prevalent for some years, she reveals a bit of breast, now and then. This fashion helps brand pictures as modern (with such views) or pre-modern (without). I don't believe that Doris Day movies featured such. Not complaining, mind you, though in some movies the expansive reveal detracts from the plot, assuming there is one. A smuttering, as well as a smattering of smut.

I've seen worse.

[deancapetanelis · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

Script is part old hack and part OK that's kind of new. The actors are all much better than this. The director did nothing wrong. I just get the feeling that this was an extended screen test to see if someone could make a movie. Then the studio threw together a budget that would have been great in the 80's but totally failed in today's dollars. It doesn't suck but ehhhh....

A very funny movie how a dysfunctional family works together to get 3 million dollars. John Cena is actually funny in it. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 8 November 2011]

"What are the 3 of us gonna do together for 2 years without killing each other?" After the death of their father 3 brothers are reunited with their sister and get news about the will. They will each inherit 3 million dollars, if they can work together for 2 years. That's where the problems begin. This is a very surprising movie. Very funny and enjoyable throughout. Nothing really that amazing here but very entertaining. This is the type of movie that you can predict what happens next as you watch, but that does not hurt the movie at all. This is a different type of role for John Cena as it is more comedy oriented but enough of him beating people up to appease his fans. This is not a movie to rush out and watch, but this is one that you will not be disappointed when you see it. Overall, a very funny and entertaining way to spend an hour and a half. I give it a B+.

*Also try - Italian Job

Gotcha last.

[nogodnomasters · 9/10 · 20 March 2018]

The movie opens with a number of disconnected subplots: A rich man in a limo shows a disinterest in his son, a man (Boyd Holbrook) getting out of prison, a woman (Amy Smart) looking around a kitchen, a bail bondsman (Ethan Embry) screaming on the phone, and a cop (John Cena) on suspension. The rich man is kidnapped by Mexicans and as it turns out the other 4 are all 1/2 brothers/sister and their common estranged dad, who was worth millions, has just passed on. The catch is that in order to share $12 million, the four of them, who all hate each other, must work together in a family business for two years...without killing each other.

So what family business do these 4 open up? As it turns out one of the Mexicans who has kidnapped the millionaire is a bail skip for Ethan Embry. Ethan knows that this Mexican hung out at an unnamed strip club in Mexico with a girl named "Angela." So all they have to do is go find him. Amy (plays a small role) loves all of her brothers unconditionally because they are family. The brothers tolerate each other at best. What I thought was going to be an action flick was a good comedy-action-drama. My fears that a wrestler would stink it up were unwarranted as John Cena did an impressive job...for a wrestler. The dialogue was simple and amusing. The plot had enough action to hold my interest. The movie sets up for an interesting sequel. This is a good "B" action-drama film.

No F-bombs or nudity. Minor sex scene.

An excellent movie, with a twist.

[michaelt281702085 · 11 September 2014]

This was an excellent movie about a deceased father who leaves his adults kids a fortune if they can all get together and run a business for two years.

The big problem is that the kids have never got along, too much negative baggage from childhood. So they have to learn, and they do, the hard way.

There is a twist in this film I never saw coming.

I've read some of the other reviews, and some were negative. In my opinion this is a good solid fun film that's easy to watch.

Go for it. 10/10 from me.