The Films About Reunions subgenre typically resides in the Drama genre and often features friends returning for high school or college reunions. This subgenre also overlaps with Drama Films About Families when the theme deals with a family member dying and other family remembers returning home. Though this isn’t one of the most popular Drama subgenres, there are a few memorable films that have gone on to become classics.
The 1970’s had a few Films About Reunions with Lifeguard (1976) and Coming Home (1978). However, it was The Deer Hunter (1978) that blended Films About Reunions and War Films About Vietnam subgenre for one of the best films of the decade. The use of the reunion between friends before and after the war made the film that much more powerful when confronted with how each friend was impacted by the war.
The 1980’s saw the subgenre’s popularity grow with one film in particular – The Big Chill (1983). This film was a ‘boomer’ classic featuring many of the most popular actors of the early 1980’s – Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline and JoBeth Williams. Other notable films of the decade included Bachelor Party (1984), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Something Wild (1986) and Less Than Zero (1987).
The Golden Age of Films About Reunions occurred in the 1990’s as ensemble films became popular in Hollywood. Many of the classic films of this subgenre were released during this decade with Beautiful Girls (1996), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) and The Celebration (1998). Other notable films included Grand Canyon (1991), Peter’s Friends (1992), Indian Summer (1993), Going All the Way (1997), Stag (1997) and Since You’ve Been Gone (1998).
In the 2000’s, Films About Reunion shifted towards family reunions with the film’s protagonist returning home (typically from a big city to a small town). Garden State (2004), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Elizabethtown (2005), Just Friends (2005) and The Family Stone (2005) all used this plot device to great effect. Other notable films of the decade included You Can Count on Me (2000), Dead Man’s Shoes (2004), The Kite Runner (2007) and Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008).
From 2010 – present, most Films About Reunions resided in the Comedy genre. Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Grown Ups (2010), American Reunion (2012), 10 Years (2012), The World’s End (2013), Last Vegas (2013), The Best Man Holiday (2013), Back in the Day (2014), See You In Valhalla (2015), The D Train (2015), and The Buddy Games (2021) all featured comedic elements with their reunion plot devices. Other notable films of the decade included The Lifeguard (2013), The Gift (2015), Lion (2016), Manchester by the Sea (2016), T2 Trainspotting (2017) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).
Our list of Films About Reunions includes over 81+ films from 1976 – 2021. While most films cover high school and college reunions, our list also includes films with family members returning home after a tragedy or other event. For our list of Top Films About Reunions You Haven’t Seen, these are the films that didn’t make the list: Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Going All the Way (1997), Off The Black (2006), I Melt with You (2011), and The Lifeguard (2013).
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here is our list of Top Films About Reunions You Haven’t Seen:
#10
The Gift
Plot: A married couple’s life is turned upside down when the husband’s high school acquaintance shows up.
KBZ’s Take: This film isn’t a typical reunion film. It’s not a comedy or drama and it features a reunion where an old high school ‘friend’ reintroduces himself to a husband and wife. Though this is a great film and shouldn’t be missed, don’t go into it thinking you’re going to watch joyful reminiscing about the old days – it’s quite opposite of that.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Stalkers You Haven’t Seen #1
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#9
Lifeguard
Plot: A lifeguard in his 30’s attends his 15-year high school reunion and sees his old girlfriend.
KBZ’s Take: This film is a time capsule into both beach life and life in the 1970’s. Starring the great Sam Elliot, Lifeguard is more of a character study of a man who doesn’t want to let go of his dream job on the beach even though he’s way past his prime for it. Not to be missed by any fan of the subgenre.
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#8
Stag
Plot: Man returns home to find out his friend’s have planned a surprise bachelor party for him.
KBZ’s Take: Similar in plot and style to Very Bad Things (1998), Stag is about an event that goes wrong – deadly wrong – during a bachelor party. However, Stag spends a lot of time on the reunion aspects of the friends getting together. It even fleshes out the characters more, so you’ll know who you hate right away (Andrew McCarthy playing very much against type).
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Plot: Six friends reunite to participate in an absurd competition called The Buddy Games.
KBZ’s Take: If you’re into toilet humor and Raunchy Comedies, then this is your movie. With any film starring John Duhamel, Kevin Dillon, Dax Shepard and Nick Swardson, you should know by now what type of humor you’ll get. An uneven film with more hits than misses, it’s still a film to check out for fans of the Reunion subgenre and Raunchy Comedies.
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#6
Lion
Plot: 25 years after being adopted by an Australian family, an Indian man sets out to find his lost family.
KBZ’s Take: One of the most powerful and Inspirational Films on this list, Lion is about the courage and determination to find one’s ‘true’ home. Dev Patel gives a career performance as a man who will do anything to find the family he lost when he was 5 years old. It goes against the general theme of a reunion film, but this film is more about reuniting with something lost to feel whole.
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Plot: At a father’s 60th birthday party, family secrets are unleashed as the party descends into chaos.
KBZ’s Take: Not an uplifting film by any means and more of a Drama about Families, its still one of the most powerful films you’ll ever see. At a family reunion, secrets are unleashed, and you’ll come to know the character of Christian very well. This Danish film is one of the best films you’ll ever see and is highly recommended.
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Plot: College freshman returns home but finds his best friend is now a drug addict.
KBZ’s Take: One of the more mature 80’s films that dealt with drug addiction and the tragedy that follows. It’s an engaging reunion film with great performances by Jami Gertz, Andrew McCarthy and James Spader. Robert Downey Jr., however, gives a career performance as the drug addicted Julian. Though it’s a hard film to watch at times, it’s still one of the best of the 80’s and the subgenre.
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#3
10 Years
Plot: A group of friends reunite for their 10th year high school graduation.
KBZ’s Take: Every generation has their ‘reunion’ film – The Big Chill (1983) for Boomers, Beautiful Girls (1996) for Gen X, and this film for Gen Y. What is most surprising about this great film is how few have seen it. How can you go wrong with a cast of Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Oscar Isaac, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Anthony Mackie, and Rosario Dawson? Well, you can’t. Though the film bills itself as a Romantic Comedy, it’s more of a drama about the struggle of young adults to embrace the demands of adulthood. It’s one of the best films of the subgenre and highly recommended.
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#2
Just Friends
Plot: A now successful recording industry exec returns to his small-town home for Christmas.
KBZ’s Take: Another film that hasn’t yet found the right audience but is one of the best Reunion films you’ll ever see. With very funny performances by Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris and Chris Klein, it’s a film that is slowly catching on as a classic Christmas and Holiday film. Special mention goes to Chris Marquette who plays the younger brother and for anybody that’s ever had a younger sibling, you’ll be tearing up inside over his interactions with Reynolds.
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Plot: Man returns to his hometown of Knight’s Ridge, Massachusetts for his 10-year high school reunion.
KBZ’s Take: This is the best of the Big 3 generational reunion films (The Big Chill, 10 Years) and is the one film that speaks to all generations. It’s about the love of friends and the bond of friendship that endures over time. Though it has an amazing cast with Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Mia Sorvino and Michael Rapaport, it’s Natalie Portman who steals the show as the 13-year-old neighbor. The interactions between Portman and Hutton are an endearing film all unto itself. Highly recommended film and best of the Films About Reunion subgenre.
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