10 Years(2011)

"Who Got Fat? Who Didn't Change? Who Got Rich, Who Got Hot?"


PLOT

A Group of friends get together the night before their high school reunion and realize how much they really haven't changed since high school.



My Thoughts

When I first heard about this movie I didn't really know to much about it, because even though it has a some what all star cast that includes Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long being probably the most known of the cast, it was a small independent release, that should've had a much bigger release and seen on a bigger scale then what it was.

10 years follow and intertwine between a group of friends who come back home for their 10 year high school reunion the characters couldn've easily been stereotypical with the geeks, popular kids, jocks but this movie shows how it mostly is now atleast for how my high school years were where the geeks(Justin Long and Max Minghella) would normally be outcast they are just as popular as Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Lynn Collins characters are, which is a good touch that adds to the movie.

the movie weaves in and out of a couple of the stories mainly focusing on Jake(Tatum) who is really nervous about going back with his girlfriend Jess(real life wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum) who he met after he moved away , and he has good reason for this because his high school girlfriend Mary (Rosario Dawson) shows up with her husband Paul (Ron Livingston) there is some weird tension between the two but its not what you might think and ties up very nicely in the end.

Marty(Justin Long) and AJ(Max Minghella) are the two that have stayed close friends since high school even though they have become businessman and don't see each other very often, but they see the popular girl Anna(Lynn Collins) and they spend the whole movie trying to one up each other trying to get her affection even though AJ is married, their back and forth through out the movie is very good and makes for some good humor most notably when they go to a local grocery store and by a bunch of toilet paper so they can TP a house.

Reeves(Oscar Isaac) is the musician who has hit it big and a bunch of women are coming up to him and wanting to talk to him and get pictures with him even though he seems a bit embarrassed by his fame and also nervous because he has a little secret that revolves around his hit single that everyone really likes and he seems the most of the movie with loner Elisa(Kate Mara) who doesn't really know why she came back when she did her best to avoid the crowds in high school.

Cully(Chris Pratt) and Sam(Ari Graynor) are the only ones who stayed and never moved away because they got married and had a bunch of kids, Cully who had a drinking problem and was a jerk in high school mostly to the nerds probably are the saddest part of the movie because Cully turns back into the jerk from high school but also is the reason for a few of the biggest laughs in the movie.

Garrity(Brian Geraghty) is the one white kid that used to hang with the black kids and used to act black ( if you went to a well diversed school then you knew someone like this, I actually knew a few Garrity's) but after high school he got away from all of that and his girlfriend Olivia (Aubrey Plaza) only finds out about this side of him thanks because of Andre (Anthony Mackie) and Scott (Scott Porter) who he really hung out with and even though its not said in the movie they probably had a rap group too.

10 years doesn't try to be more then what it is, its a tale of friends coming together none of them are fully functioning people because they all have their problems even though some hide it better then other, but you feel for them, you will laugh, you might cry, you might even be a little embarrassed by some of what you might seen and you might even see some of yourself in a few character( I do) and you might even know some of the characters in real life from your own friends.

I must say a few standout performances go too Channing Tatum who drops the pretty boy routine for once( I am a fan of some of his movies) but this movie shows that he really can act especially in the scenes he shares with Rosario Dawson, not so much with his wife Jenna Dewan but she really isn't the greatest actress in the world but at the same time she's not asked to do to much here either.

Oscar Isaac gives probably the best performance of all as Reeves his character is the one that's probably the most stable even though he's a musician and he brings out the little nauseous that I really related too and see a lot of myself in that character, except I'm not a big star or anything.

Lynn Collins makes a character that's normally in any other movie like this a huge Bitch, but Collins brings out the good and soft side and makes Anna very relateable because when you find out something about her you see the character for who she truly is and not what she portrays herself to be.

All in All if you like little heartfelt movies like this with a cool ensemble cast that will make you laugh, even a little emotional at times, even enjoy some karaoke singing to Digital Underground's "Same Song", then I highly recommend seeing this movie, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.


CAST
Channing Tatum- Jake
Jenna Dewan-Tatum- Jess
Justin Long-Marty
Max Minghella-AJ
Oscar Isaac-Reeves
Chris Pratt-Cully
Ari Graynor-Sam
Scott Porter-Scott
Brian Geraghty-Garrity
Aubrey Plaza-Olivia
Rosario Dawson-Mary
Anthony Mackie-Andre
Kate Mara-Elise
Ron Livingston-Paul
Aaron Yoo-Peter
Lynn Collins-Anna


MY Rating- 8/10