See You in Valhalla

"I have this idea."

"That's a bad thing."

"No, this is a good thing."

Johanna Burwood (Hyland) hasn't seen her family for years.  After the highly publicized suicide of her meth-addict brother Maxwell "Magnus" (McDorman), she reluctantly goes home.  Tagging along is her not-boyfriend Peter (Frost), who volunteers for the trip.  Walking through the front door opens the floodgates of emotions and issues that drove her away years before.  Her estranged father, Woody (O'Farrell), is trying to reconnect, with the help of his hippie nurse / girlfriend Faye (Bell).  Her brothers are also home and stirring up old wounds.  Oldest brother, Don (Weston) is a snobby workaholic, with his opinionated teenage daughter, Ashely (Rush), in tow, and Barry (Harrison) is a gay psychologist with his Hawaiian new-age boyfriend Makewi (Howey).

Magnus was obsessed with Vikings.  He and his late girlfriend went to a Viking rehab in Iceland, but both relapsed after returning to the US.  He left a journal of musings for his siblings to find.  Can the Burwood's stop fighting long enough to mourn their loss?


Another film about dysfunctional family, forced to reunite over the death of a family member (see This is Where I Leave You, Death at a Funeral, Death at a Funeral 2010) or over a difficult family matter (Reuniting the Rubins).  Dysfunctional families are a Hollywood staple, on TV and in film.  Often these films take a humorous look at the dysfunction.  This film is billed as a comedy, but it is actually a drama with occasional bits of humor.  The majority of the film is just people screaming and cursing at each other.

Part of the problem with the film is the script by Brent Tarnol, which introduces too many characters without developing them.  Even some of the main characters aren't fully fleshed out.  The same can be said of some of the plot points, that are introduced but never really explored.  The film is directed by Jarret Tarnol (Brent's brother).

The cast do what they can with their roles, but some work better than others.  Sarah Hyland (from TV's Modern Family) is earnest as the lead.  You don't fully understand her character until the second half of the film, and then you start to appreciate her.  Steve Howey is the bright spot as the misunderstood stoner, who possesses an unexpected depth.  He gets the funny lines and makes the ridiculousness work here... in ways that could fail in the hands of other actors.  Alex Frost gets the thankless role as the boyfriend, but when he is paired with Howey, he gets a little more interesting.  I like Bret Harrison (he is the reason I watched this film) and Michael Weston, but this is not their best work.  They are ok, but their characters are one-dimensional and unlikeable.

With a stronger script, this film could be so much better.  It wasn't bad, but it isn't good either.  Watch either version of Death at a Funeral instead.

See You in Valhalla (2015) 82 minutes
Rating: R for language, sexual references and drug use
Director: Jarret Tarnol
Starring: Sarah Hyland as Johanna Burwood
Bret Harrison as Barry Burwood
Steve Howey as Makewi
Odeya Rush as Ashley Burwood
Michael Weston as Don Burwood
Emma Bell as Faye
Alex Frost as Peter
Conor O'Farrell as Woody Burwood
Jake McDorman as Magnus Burwood