Back in the Day

Written and directed by Michael Rosenbaum, Back in the Day follows struggling actor Jim Owens (Rosenbaum) as he returns home to attend a milestone high-school reunion – with the movie detailing Jim’s encounters with old friends (including Harland Williams’ Skunk and Kristoffer Polaha’s Len) and his teenage sweetheart (Morena Baccarin’s Lori). There’s nothing especially fresh or innovative about Back in the Day – the film does, for the most part, unfold exactly as one might’ve guessed based on the premise – and yet it’s hard to deny that the movie remains surprisingly watchable virtually from beginning to end. First-time filmmaker Rosenbaum has infused the proceedings with an pervasively affable vibe that’s impossible to resist, with the feel-good atmosphere perpetuated by a roster of appealing, charismatic performances – with Rosenbaum’s engaging turn as the central character matched by an impressively strong supporting cast. (Folks like Baccarin and Polaha are very good here, yet it’s impossible to deny that Williams, though clearly much older than his costars, stands out as the film’s most valuable player.) It’s worth noting, however, that even at 94 minutes, Back in the Day suffers from a handful of sluggish patches that prove a test to one’s ongoing interest and wreak havoc on the movie’s already-tenuous momentum – with the film, admittedly, recovering for a funny (and surprisingly unpredictable) final stretch. The end result is a better-than-average debut that bodes well for Rosenbaum’s future endeavors as a filmmaker, with the movie ultimately earning a place for itself alongside such other amiable high-school-reunion pictures as Grosse Pointe Blank and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

*** out of ****