★★★
Eager to flaunt their success in front of old bullies and teenage crushes, two best friends spend a wild night at their middle school reunion.
Classification: 15
A charming little comedy with a clever script and fun performances that brings its own flair into the tropes of school reunions. Building its comedy and drama from a case of mistaken identify, Back to School explores themes of classism, sexuality, bullying and community as both bullies and nerds confront the social barriers that entrapped them in their youth. Every character is desperate to relive some glory of their youth or finally act upon a childhood fantasy, the film follows the formula of having professional adults act like immature children. The comedy itself is a strange mix of clever and childish, capturing the juxtaposition of the characters as the juvenility of their behaviour increases as the night plays out. The notion that "High School Never Ends" is clear as day as long-forgotten feuds between bully and nerd are reignited as revenge becomes the goal for both sides.
The performances are the strength to Back to School, creating a believable backstory to the middle school and the threads that connect every character. The writers do rely on typical convention to flesh out their "student" there are bullies, nerds, popular girls, even a chess club but it displays how despite their successes in life everyone reverts to their designated role in the school ecosystem. Everyone except for Jérôme Niel as Jonathan Pinet who is mistaken by his childhood crush as Jonathan Lopez, her ex-boyfriend and his former tormentor, Jonathan is then taken through the looking glass as he is now the life of the party. Not the most original of concepts but it does get Back to School up and running as this little error begins a domino effect of comedy and madness. Niel's performance works well as the straight man, wide-eyed and unsure at how long the lie can sustain. Ludovik Day as Pinet's best friend and Nicolas Berno as Lopez's best friend have great scenes together both with Niel as a scene partner and with themselves. Day's storyline explores bullying and abuse as his quest for reprisal alienates him and has him become the bully but it's Berno that surprises with his character going beyond hard-headed bully and leading to some of the film's best moments.
The film doesn't stick the landing all the way, with some third act reveals being either too predictable or conventional. It's a story about characters discovering who they really are by reverting to their youthful mindset and then growing and learning from that experience. The ending goes out of left field at some points, it still serves the messaging but still doesn't fully integrate into the logic of the film up to that point. It's amusing and sweet but there is only so much one can do with this premise but Back to School does enough so it doesn't become a bore. Director and writer duo Remy Four and Julien War have a series of subplots woven throughout the reunion night and all have enjoyable payoffs, Day's character Pierre forms his only little gang during the night consisting of his chess club buddies and their antics are a fun distraction from the main storyline. The script is cleverly written making even the most predictable of moments feel fresh to the audience, playing with trope expectations and throwing their own edge to not make anything drag.
Back to School seems aware of how much it can do and doesn't overexert itself for laughs or drama. Remy Four and Julien War's comedy is a fun little surprise from Netflix which stems from a universal language of wanting to belong. The insecurities of youth drive almost every decision in the film and it would be shocking how far one would go to settle one of these trivial spats if the script didn't have its strong character development. It's a comedy built from its characters and is all the stronger for it and makes for a fun time.
Director: #RemyFour and #JulienWar
Cast: #JérômeNiel, #LudovikDay, #NicolasBerno
Release Date: August 30th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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