Thanksgiving Family Reunion

National Lampoon's Holiday Reunion is about two cousins in a rather dysfunctional family who do not even remember each other. Since neither cousin has any extended family, they decided to reunite and have Thanksgiving together. Of course, the "normal" family is appalled when they meet their redneck cousins. Sound familiar? Maybe because it is the same plot from National Lampoon's Vacation, only a lot less funny.

Judge Reinhold stars as Dr. Mitch Snider, an anesthesiologist for the stars in California. Bryan Cranston co-stars as Woodrow Snider, the redneck cousin with a big heart but down on his luck. Cousin Eddie.. I mean Cousin Woodrow is also in between a rock and a hard place financially and wants to ask his cousin, Mitch, for $60,000, but for some reason, asks for a kidney instead. I suppose to make Mitch feel sorry for him.

I do not even really have to go into the rest, because if you have seen the other National Lampoon movies up to this point, you know what will happen. Even the formula for Holiday Reunion is the same as Holdiay Vacation. Both families consist of the husband and wife, daughter and son, and of course, the token old guy.

I really hope National Lampoon's gets it's act together because they used to be a great franchise, but lately, I have seen nothing but unoriginality and poor writing, especially for the comedy we have come to expect from them. 3/10

i thought it was going to be funny with the previews on TBS, but when I saw the real thing, it was pathetic. Somehow the film was serious than actually funny. Its about a depressed man for which his family doesn't give a damn about him. Bryan Cranston plays the long lost cousin of Judge Reinhold for which he is a putz on the nervous breakdown and wants a real relationship with his family. Bryan was the reason i watched this movie.

I had the chance of catching this show on television yesterday because my friend's "monster truck" was featured in the made-for-television movie. For me, and my friend, that was the highlight of this horrific production.

I can't tell you how awful this movie was -- but I will try. The script was terrible and the concept was extremely lame. If I had had any choice, I would have watched the first five minutes and then turned it off.

I don't understand how this screenplay made it from an executive's desk to the production floor with people showing confidence in it. Who in their right mind would even fund such a script! I hear some of the National Lampoon's writers are auctioning themselves off on eBay and I can understand why. I would have laid off (*cough, fired*) writers whose only potential was churning out such idiotic tripe.

In a nutshell, National Lampoon is in trouble.

The film's struggle to make people laugh falls flat on its face. The characters are not real, the actor's are not having any fun, and the director didn't know what to do with the material (not that any director would know what to do with it either). Combine that all together and you have a film where you can actually see the director shouting at the audience: LAUGH, DAMMIT!

This formula movie has no reason to exist. Nothing in this film made you care about it. None of the characters were interesting, none of the situations are even close to reality and one knows that careers are in trouble when such garbage hits the screen. Viewing this film will expose you to the following: a stupid plot, Los Angeles dwelling socialites, Idaho living yokels, cell-phone addicted teens, animals with diseases, farting pseudo-uncles, a disregard for gun safety, and my friend's truck.

Anyway, I am tired of writing this review because this film doesn't even deserve to have a review. Just know, it plain sucks. If you like movies and value your time on this planet, save your two hours and watch something else. Maybe, National Lampoon's Vacation, I know it was good.

Oh, my friend's truck was cool. I had the chance of catching this show on television yesterday because my friend's "monster truck" was featured in the made-for-television movie. For me, and my friend, that was the highlight of this horrific production.

In a nutshell, National Lampoon is in trouble.

This formula movie has no reason to exist. Nothing in this film made you care about it. None of the characters were interesting, none of the situations are even close to reality and one knows that careers are in trouble when such garbage hits the screen. Viewing this film will expose you to the following: a stupid plot, Los Angeles dwelling socialites, Idaho living yokels, cell-phone addicted teens, animals with diseases, farting pseudo-uncles, a disregard for gun safety, and my friend's truck.

If you like movies and value your time on this planet, save your two hours and watch something else. Maybe, National Lampoon's Vacation, I know it was good.

Oh, yah. My friend's truck was cool.

My God that's probably the 1st time anyone has ever asked that question. The main problem with this this movie is that it's too long. With commercials its running time is about 2 hours. It's about 1 hour and 58 minutes too long. Were sleeping tablets issued to the cast before filming? The real turkey on Thanksgiving was the film.

This movie was as lame as they come. Right in step with all the other straight to video/TV National Lampoon ventures. I tuned in hoping for humor because I enjoyed the works of other members of the cast, specifically Bryan Cranston and Penelope-Ann Miller. I was hoping to see Judge Reinhold in something that might be up to par with his long ago comedies. I think I was also sucked in by the fact that this was from the writers of Vegas Vacation, which despite many others opinions is a National Lampoon movie I very much enjoyed. No such luck. There is none of the trademark N.L.'s wit to this movie. The jokes are dull, beyond low brow, and fall totally flat. This is one movie you won't be sorry you missed.