Summary
During the twenty-year high school reunion, a group of former classmates come together to party and reminisce about the glory days, but when a snow storm hits, those too inebriated to drive home stay in their rich former classmate Matthew’s house inReunion. However, things take a turn when they discover Matthew’s body in his bedroom the next morning. Now, everyone who was in the house is a suspect with a motive, and they investigate the crime, trying to determine which of them is the killer.
Reunionfeatures a powerhouse comediccast led by Lil Rel Howery, featuring Chase Crawford, Billy Magnussen, Jillian Bell, Jamie Chung, and Nina Dobrev delivering hilarious performances. Director Chris Nelson is masterful in his balance between the murder mystery and comedy genre while also layering the complicated dynamics of two decades of history between characters. The murder mystery genre has seen a resurgence of popularity with comedic murder mysteries becoming a popular subgenre that plays with expectations and different types of tension osculating between the tension of comedies and suspense.
The Vampire Diaries Star Nina Dobrev Reacts To The Show’s Second Life On Streaming: “Feels Like It’s Back On The Air”
Exclusive: The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev discusses the show’s renewed popularity on streaming and whether she would return for a prequel.
Screen Rantinterviewed star Nina Dobrev (best known forThe Vampire Diaries) about her new comedic murder mystery, Reunion. She revealed that the phenomenal cast attracted her to the movie and shared insight into her character, Amanda Turner. Dobrev also explained how the cast cultivated the chemistry and feeling of shared history as well as revealing who made her break while filming.
Knives Out “Really Paved The Path” For The Murder Mystery’s Return
Dobrev broke down her character Amanda Tanner both how she was in high school and how she is as an adult. She explained how certain elements of Amanda’s character remain true even as she matures, and how her political aspirations have impacted her personality.
Nina Dobrev: Amanda in high school is a bit of a party girl. She’s a fun time. She’s got a lot of ambitions and she’s very one track minded, selfish. As an adult. She’s also selfish, sort of self-centered, goal-oriented, and has a lot of high aspirations to become a congresswoman. As a result has all the typical political tropes, which are that she’s very standoffish and serious and will kind of do anything to succeed. She has walls up that are really thick, impenetrable, and it’s hard to relate to her in a lot of ways until you start to peel back the layers and start to realize that she is pretty flawed and has a lot of dark secrets that she’s trying to hide from the world.
You guys have such an incredible cast in this, such a diverse cast, little Rel Billy, Julian Bell, Jamie Chung. You guys are absolutely amazing. Can you talk about working with that incredible cast and how you guys kind of crafted your chemistry off-camera as well?
Nina Dobrev: The reason I wanted to do the movie, I was one of the last cast members to round up the whole cast, and so everyone else was set at that point. So I had the pleasure of just looking at the offer when I got it and seeing all of their names and immediately just knowing that I will read the script, but probably don’t need to because if they’re signed on, then it’s probably good. I was right.
I really enjoyed the character, but also the dynamic between all the different characters and the fact that they all had a motive for the murder, and so it kept the audience guessing who could it possibly be. So we bonded pretty quickly. We’re all pretty similar and like minded. We did make an effort to hang out Offset. We had a big dinner and went out one night so that we could build that chemistry and make sure that it feels like we’ve been friends or that we had history, I suppose.
WithKnives Out,Only Murders In The Building,The After PartyandPoker Face, we’re seeing the murder mystery genre kind of make a resurgence back in pop culture. Why do you think people connect so deeply with the murder mystery genre, even things likeThe JinxorDateline? What is it about some of these murder mysteries that people connect with?
Nina Dobrev: I am a full-blown murder mystery fanatic, especially when it comes to True Crime. Yeah, the Jinx. I just binged that whole season and so many other shows that have come out. I don’t know what it is. I feel like it just feels so scary and real and it actually happens, and I guess maybe if I had to really psychoanalyze it, it’s probably a fascination to want to understand the murderer’s mind so that if we’re ever in the scenario we know how to act or what to do and sort of save ourselves instead of being the victim to know how to confront a killer.
I don’t know, because a lot of people, everyone’s like, Why do you like this? Why are you watching these scary, terrifying, true crime things right before you go to bed? And I’m like, I don’t know. I can’t get enough of it. But yeah, I also feel like Knives Out really paved the path to bring the genre back, which is really cool. And they did a really good job of it. I am a fan. I thought that the first one especially was my favorite, and so getting to do something similar to it, but a little bit broader was really exciting.
Nina Dobrev Says Reunion “Didn’t Feel Like An Indie Movie”
Dobrev praised Nelson’s directing style, especially for how quickly they filmed the movie. She revealed that they filmedReunionin about three and a half to four weeks. Dobrev also noted her surprise and delight at how the movie came together, with the production value looking bigger than what one would expect from its actual budget.
Nina Dobrev: The script really lent itself to that as well. Chris really was the leader of the pack, as you will, and I have to give him kudos. We shot this movie in like three and a half, four weeks, probably three and a half. It was a really, really quick shoot and indie filmmaking, as you know. It didn’t feel like an indie movie, which is so we were all very surprised. The production value looks bigger than the budget that we had, but we were pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I’m really happy that it feels bigger than it was.
I love this era that the high school that you guys all kind of graduated from, it’s right around the same time that I graduated from, so with high school, when you hear a specific song, what was the jam that you had on repeat during your high school years?
Nina Dobrev: I feel like that song, “I don’t care. I love it.” That was coming out right around when I was in high school. The OC was the TV show that was on when I was in high school, so whatever that song, the California, yeah, that one was a big song. I’m trying to think. Black Eyed Peas were really big back then. I don’t know. Missy Elliot.
I also love that during high school we always have the who would be this, who would be that. So I’m going to ask you about your cast members. Who would be the most helpful in an escape room?
Nina Dobrev: Jillian Bell.
Everybody voted you so far.
Nina Dobrev: Really? I mean, they’re not wrong. I am really good at, I love escape rooms, so yes, I didn’t know I could vote for myself, so yeah, me, but Jillian Bell. If I had to be stuck in an escape room with someone, I would choose Jillian.
Who would be the least helpful in an escape room?
Nina Dobrev: Chace Crawford. He’s just all jokes, and I love him to death, but I feel like he would just be messing around. He wouldn’t take it as seriously as I would.
Who would be most likely to have you break on set of just pure laughter?
Nina Dobrev: Jillian Bell. It’s tie between Jillian and Rel, probably.
Nina Dobrev’s Advice To Her Younger Self: “Be Patient And Enjoy The Moments”
With high school reunions sparking nostalgia as people look back at their lives and how they turned out Dobrev shared the advice she would give to her high school self if possible. This advice included being patient and enjoying the moment more.
Nina Dobrev: I would probably tell her to just be patient and enjoy the moments because they are fleeting and to slow down.
This film comes out on digital June 28th, so anyone could buy it. What I like doing is I like doing a double feature pairing movies together to kind of have a movie night. So when this film hits on June 28th, what would you pair Reunion with for a double feature?
Nina Dobrev: Oh my goodness. I feel like I would pair it with Hitman. Yeah, I would watch Reunion and then I would watch Hitman because it’s similar kind of comedic thriller. I mean, they’re different obviously, but I think it’d be fun. And obviously Glen Powell’s so fantastic in that movie.
About Reunion
Snowbound at their high school reunion, former classmates uncover a murder and scramble to identify the killer among them before they’re all iced out for good.
Reunion
Cast
Reunion is a mystery thriller directed by Chris Nelson, set during a high school reunion where a murder unfolds amidst a snowstorm. The guests, trapped in an isolated mansion, must navigate the tension and suspicion as they uncover the truth behind the crime.
