Reunion‘s Nina Dobrev, Lil Rel Howery, and Michael Hitchcock discuss their hilarious new film, which is also a who dunnit murder mystery.
If you are looking for a fun murder mystery movie, look no further. Reunion, which is available to buy on digital now, is exactly that. Packed with a hilarious and talented cast, this who dunnit gets crazier and crazier before the killer is revealed. Set at a High School reunion, where everyone has motive to murder, Reunion is a must watch.
We spoke with some of the cast to talk about the new film. Nina Dobrev, who plays Amanda Tanner, Lil Rel Howery, who plays Ray Hammond, and Michael Hitchcock, who plays Theodore Buckley, discuss how much fun they had on set, revealing that a lot of what made the final cut was improvised. They also confess that they did not know who the killer was going to be when reading through the script the first time.
What Drew Them To The Film
Michael Hitchcock claims it was a no brainer for him to sign on to this project. “The script was very funny. And it’s always fun to try to figure out a murder mystery, but then once I saw who was on board? That was like done and done. Little Rel? Yes. Jillian Bell? Yes. Billy Magnussen? Yes. Nina Dobrev, Jamie Chung, Chase Crawford. It was fantastic.”
Lil Rel Howery agrees that the cast was a large part of why he wanted to be a part of Reunion. “It was the cast and just being a part of a murder mystery, and making a murder mystery hilarious. That was such a big deal to me. And, man, it was such a good group of people to work with. I like humor mixed with stuff like this. And I think we did a really good job at that. I’m so proud of what we did.”
As for Nina Dobrev, she admits that making a funny murder mystery was always somethign she wanted to do. “I’m a fan of the Knives Out series. I love those movies. I love Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas and Chris Evans, and they were all so good in that film. And so it reminded me of that, and yet it felt like a broader comedy version of it. A zanier version. That whole genre is appealing to me, and I wanted to be in something like it. And then on top of that, of course, the fact that the cast was as fantastic as it is. I think Chase and I were the last two cast members to round it out.” She adds that the cast is full of people whose careers she had admired and wanted to work with.
With So Many Comedians, There Was A Lot Of Improv
Lil Rel says that being on set was a blast. “It was so much fun. It was a lot of laughing like a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of laughing and a real good supportive group too, honestly. I love the way we all support each other in the scenes and are really good scene partners, now that I think about it. I really enjoyed how funny everybody was, and just how much we all gave each other room to shine.”
Michael recalls one of his favorite improvised moments involving Jillian Bell. “She has a speech at the party at the beginning of the movie that is just crazy. And I would assume 80% of that was improvised. At one point talks about, and now I’m here with my $64 shoes. Where did that come from?”
Nina adds, “It was really fun. We all stayed on set, too, because the trailers were so far away. So no one ever really went back to the trailers. We just kind of hung out outside and it was a blast.”
Perfect To Watch With A Group Of Friends…Or Solo
Why should people watch Reunion? Lil Rel says, “You gather your friends, you have a party, you get some drinks, you get some food, and you guys sit there and try to figure out what’s going on. This is a movie that’s for a group of people to enjoy together.”
Michael adds, “Or if you’re lonely like me, you can just watch it by yourself. With your cat. Or even a stuffed animal.”
Nina explains that she has been spending a lot of time at home watching things because she is injured. “For me, I’ve been using television and film as a real escape from what I’m going through. So I would hope that Reunion is something that helps people escape from whatever their reality is, and helps them laugh, and makes them feel better with whatever they’re going through in their lives.”
Did They Solve The Mystery?
When asked if they figured out who the killer was when they first read through the script, the Reunion cast admits that none of them did.
Nina confesses “It was really fun reading the script. I didn’t figure it out until the very end mainly because the script does such a good job of misleading the reader and the audience member. Because every single one of the characters has motive and a reason to want the person who dies to be dead. And so it really throws you through a loop. Everyone is suspicious. I remember reading and being like, I might be the killer? Or maybe it’s this person. Or maybe it’s this person. And it wasn’t till the very end that it got revealed to the actual killer is… and still might be me.”
Be sure to check out the full interview with Nina Dobrev, Lil Rel Howery, and Michael Hitchcock to learn more about this hilarious murder mystery movie.
Reunion isĀ available to Buy on Digital now.
NEXT: Reunion Movie Review: A Hilarious Who Dunnit
About Reunion
Lil Rel Howery (GET OUT), Billy Magnussen (GAME NIGHT), and Jillian Bell (22 JUMP STREET) star in a wild ride of twists and turns where a high school reunion gets cut short by murder. Trapped in a snowbound mansion, they race to uncover which one of their old classmates is the killer before they’re all iced out for good.
Also starring Jamie Chung (GROWN UPS), Michael Hitchcock (VEEP) with Nina Dobrev (SICK GIRL) and Chace Crawford (GOSSIP GIRL).
Reunion isĀ available to Buy on Digital now.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.