ColinQuinn Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I love movies about reunions. The comedy and underlying drama of The Big Chill warms me, and every once in a while, I get an urge to delight in summer camp with Mike Binder's Indian Summer. Films like these outline, so wonderfully, the ways we change and stay the same, and just how hard it can be to relate to those we've known forever in a way that's entertaining rather than sickeningly sappy.

But I'm getting the sense that this won't happen with Adam Sandler's reunion comedy. Last month, Erik shared news that director Dennis Dugan (Zohan) was going to lead Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade in the story of five best friends from high school who reunite after 30 years on the Fourth of July weekend. Now Variety reports that Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, and Colin Quinn are joining the reunion.

So far, this flick is sneaky. It's got all the signs of bad comedy with the small glimmer of hope that the results could surprise us. If this is the typical fare Sandler puts his friends in, I'll be running the other way, even with Hayek's inclusion. But what if... What if the reunion of all these SNL alums becomes something else? A comedy where these comedians can tap into their old days and reminisce for our entertainment? All of these actors have their strengths, and if Sandler and Dugan tap into that, rather than the goof factor, this could be good.

Or is there no way? Is this reunion doomed before it even starts?

I'm trying to decide whether this Harold pic is getting pretty interesting, or teetering over the edge into cliche. Earlier this month, Erik Davis brought word that Abigail Breslin's big brother, Spencer Breslin, was going to star in the upcoming film as Harold -- a prematurely-balding kid who has trouble adapting to his new school. So far, so normal. There was also Cuba Gooding Jr., who is also one of the movie's producers, signed on as a janitor who helps the kid. Now we've got three more starring names -- two of which bring back lots of 80's memories -- Ally Sheedy, Colin Quinn and Nikki Blonsky.

Sheedy, who is probably best known for her too-cool klepto girl Allison in The Breakfast Club, is going to play Harold's mom, who tries to help her son cope with all the baldy teasing. So far - so normal. Now here is where I raise a brow: Quinn, who was the announcer years ago on MTV's Remote Control, will play "Reedy, a drunken barfly who's a regular at a strip club Harold frequents." So, the teased kid spends a majority of his time at a strip club -- I guess he gets in easily because of the baldness? Hopefully this won't fall in a cliche where the older, sexy women accompany him to the prom or something, showing his classmates that he's so cool, and assuring Harold that he'll find a special girl soon -- and then, well, then he finally notices his best friend, who loved him all along.

Nikki Blonsky, whose first role was in the recent Hairspray remake as Tracy Turnblad, will play Harold's nerdy best friend. Coincidentally, Harold has just began shooting in Blonsky's hometown of Great Neck, N.Y., at her old middle school to boot. She says of her role: "I'm playing an outcast again, but not necessarily because of the whole 'plus-size' thing. It's because my character marches to the beat of her own drummer." There's definitely a beat to this film, but hopefully one that won't fall prey to all the cliches spinning around in my head.