"Christmas Project Reunion" was made four years after the first film, and most of the main characters are back. In the case of the kids, who are the main focus of the plot, they are now teenagers in high school. Unfortunately, this film joins the ranks of the majority of sequels that are not nearly as good as their original stories and films. And, in this case, it's a considerable decline. Where the first film, with an original story and plot is good enough to be an annual holiday rerun, "Reunion" is forgettable.
The problems with this film are many. Overall, it seems to drag on, with far too much screen time of Matthew Buckley's sulking character. And, the return of the Hagbarts, while okay for a plot idea, seems way off because Finn Hagbart no longer is the bullying nemesis of Matthew. He comes across as a nice guy. There are some other odd twists in the attraction of the Hagbart girls to the Buckleys (Feeb Hagbart and Simon Buckley) and Mathew's geek friend, Allen Goodman.
The introduction of two new characters adds a little to this plot. Uncle Steve is the younger brother of Matthew's mother. But Coach Hagbart comes out of nowhere. Brian Bosworth plays the role well, and his character is okay. If someone hadn't seen the original film, his presence wouldn't seem so odd. That's because in the original film, the Hagbart's father never appeared even once. So, now, all of a sudden, here he is and a pretty good, solid person. The fact that the Hagbart's had been poor and their dad was gone to work two jobs all the time to support them was understandable. But now they are rich because he invented some sort of shopping guide attraction that retail stores went for in a big way.
Well, the plot for this sequel struggles along with Matthew carrying a grudge against Finn, and then finally awakening to a change of heart that's just not believable. The film seemed to force that conclusion on the audience. This is just one sequel that flops.
The problems with this film are many. Overall, it seems to drag on, with far too much screen time of Matthew Buckley's sulking character. And, the return of the Hagbarts, while okay for a plot idea, seems way off because Finn Hagbart no longer is the bullying nemesis of Matthew. He comes across as a nice guy. There are some other odd twists in the attraction of the Hagbart girls to the Buckleys (Feeb Hagbart and Simon Buckley) and Mathew's geek friend, Allen Goodman.
The introduction of two new characters adds a little to this plot. Uncle Steve is the younger brother of Matthew's mother. But Coach Hagbart comes out of nowhere. Brian Bosworth plays the role well, and his character is okay. If someone hadn't seen the original film, his presence wouldn't seem so odd. That's because in the original film, the Hagbart's father never appeared even once. So, now, all of a sudden, here he is and a pretty good, solid person. The fact that the Hagbart's had been poor and their dad was gone to work two jobs all the time to support them was understandable. But now they are rich because he invented some sort of shopping guide attraction that retail stores went for in a big way.
Well, the plot for this sequel struggles along with Matthew carrying a grudge against Finn, and then finally awakening to a change of heart that's just not believable. The film seemed to force that conclusion on the audience. This is just one sequel that flops.