The D Train

— An unusual look at male insecurity and sexuality. Jack Black’s Dan Landsman is the epitome of nerdiness and you just know he was mercilessly teased as a child. Twenty years later he’s still unpopular and uncomfortable but, somehow, he has a good-looking wife and two children. He’s on the high school reunion committee and, seeing former, popular classmate Oliver Lawless on a national sunscreen commercial, he sees him as having “made it” and decides to get the successful Oliver to the reunion so others will want to come too. Under the ruse of a business trip, Dan goes to LA and hooks up with Oliver for a couple of days of bars, drugs and, ultimately, seduction. The next day Dan is nonplussed and Oliver, who isn’t into labels, is unconcerned. When Oliver shows up for the reunion, the nuances of things are somewhat clarified but, overall, it’s hard for viewers to build up sympathy or understanding for anyone. The film’s interesting but not particularly successful. [DVD]

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[2015. 101 min. Directed by Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul. Starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, and Jeffrey Tambor.]
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-d-train-20150507