The Reunion (2011)

"You know, there's no "I" in team, Sammie boy."

"No, but there's an "I" in family, and I'm still the oldest. So shut up."

The Cleary family does not get along.  After the death of their father, the children gather for his funeral.  Oldest son Sam (Cena) is a police officer who was recently suspended.  Leo (Embry) is a bail bondsman with money problems.  Daughter Nina (Smart) is the responsible one and the one who sat by their father on his deathbed.  And Douglas (Holbrook) is a thief who was recently released from prison.  They are surprised to learn that their father left each of them 3 million dollars, but there are conditions: the brothers must work together for at least 2 years to earn their inheritance.

The brothers argue about everything.  They agree to work together after learning that one of Leo's bails is involved in kidnapping one of the wealthiest men in the US, Kyle Wills (Henry).  With some money from Nina, they head to Mexico to begin the search.  Immediately they clash with Theresa Trujillo (Loren), who reluctantly agrees to help them.  With Mexican crime boss Verdugo (Garfield) tracking their progress, can they find the bail jumper and claim the bounty or will their bickering destroy them?


In 2002, the WWE created a film studio to give their wrestlers the opportunity to star in feature films.  The films star WWE wrestlers alongside established Hollywood actors.  Most of their films are mindless action flicks with some occasional humor and minimal plot, and capitalize on the in-the-ring personalities of the wrestlers.

The film attempts to be both a western and family film... with one note characters and cliches.  The characters regularly fight about which member of Bonanza they would be, which almost works.  The film reveals around John Cena's Sam, who barely cracks a smile in the film.  Sam is the muscle, Ethan Embry's Leo is the mouth, and Boyd Holbrook's Doug is the looks.  Embry, the most established actor of the 3, displays the most personality and range... but his character also gets grating.  Amy Smart is sorely underused.  The rest of the characters aren't fully developed: the serve a purpose and some get a name, but don't have motivations or personality.

You probably haven't heard of this film.  I don't think it received a big theatrical run, and is currently available on several online streaming platforms.  It is ok for what it is: an opportunity for Cena to work on his acting career... don't expect much more than that and you may enjoy it.

The Reunion (2011) 90 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language
Director: Mike Pavone
Starring: John Cena as Sam Cleary
Ethan Embry as Leo Cleary
Boyd Holbrook as Douglas Cleary
Amy Smart as Nina Cleary
Michael Rispoli as Marcus Canton
Gregg Henry as Kyle Wills
Lela Loren as Theresa Trujillo
Jack Conley as Jack Nealon
J.D. Garfield as Verdugo