Review: The D Train

The D Train is the type of film that time will hopefully forget. Jack Black has a talent for playing desperation as something empathetic and likable even. His best comedies understand this. The D Train does not, making him into an insufferable character who does not earn any sympathy in his plight to be popular.

Black plays Dan Landsman, the leader of his high school's alumni committee. The reunion is coming up and no one seems to be RSVPing. He gets the idea to convince mild TV commercial star Oliver Lawless, James Marsden, to come back. Lawless was the most popular student of their graduating class.  Landsman tricks his company into paying for him to fly to LA and get Lawless to agree to attend the reunion. Through a series a sillier and sillier events, Lawless and Landsman bond in their desperation. This is where the film could have been a welcome departure from the usual bro comedy.

However, the D Train exchanges respect and plausibility in its central plot point for crass, generic and homophobic humor. This is a shame because Black and Marsden have real chemistry and seem game for a more serious exploration of this topic. The two are likeable together and are ultimately responsible for anything likeable about the film. 

The D Train is stuck in a mode of humor that thinks that the very idea of two men sharing an intimate moment together is hilarious. It never treats its characters with any respect, instead poking fun at them. To call it a cruel film is too strong but it certainly makes you feel bad. Feel bad comedies are an oxymoron for a reason. This is one to skip. 

2/5