Black dips his toe back in the dark end with this almost-comedy about a high-school loser who convinces the most popular guy in his year — hunky TV ad star Oliver Lawless (Marsden) — to return to Pittsburgh with him to impress his old classmates at their reunion.
There are winning moments — the new buddies’ distinctive method of bonding is a highlight — but it’s hard to root for Black’s Dan, whose increasing obsession with Lawless exposes few qualities bar a desperate desire to be liked. Marsden’s uninhibited faux celeb is spot on, but the rest falls short of the mark.
