Back in the Day (2014) User Reviews (22)

It's a decent watch

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 17 October 2015]

I really did like the concept of the film. Michael Rosenbaum plays an actor unhappy with the way his life went, and when he comes back home to his high school reunion and tries to relive his glory days, which includes rekindling the magic with his high school sweet heart. It sounds like the regular formula but it's actually done more sophisticated than expected.

Much props to Rosenbaum who was able to direct and act at the same time getting a lot from his character.

The movie is filled with a few laughs, the best I feel come from a character named Ron, played by Nick Swardson who peaked in Jr. High after everyone was able to grow facial hair like he could.

Although all the characters are interesting not all the actors were. I did not feel the chemistry that would suggest these guys are friends, yet alone for 20 years. I did not feel it click.

Plus, this may be me nick picking, but the movie suggest that they are the class of 1994, yet I kept getting a late 80s vibe from the whole thing. I feel they really missed an opportunity to make fun of the 90s that could have added some much needed jokes.

Overall it was good.

A "So What" Film thanks to a Weak Script

[danew13 · 4/10 · 1 February 2014]

This is another pseudo nostalgic film where a struggling actor in Hollywood (Michael Rosenbaum)takes a journey down memory lane by flying back to Indiana for his high school reunion…and to hook up with his old flame, played by lovely Morena Baccarin.

The trouble is she's about to be married after waiting years for her first love who never came back.

Had the writer,who's also Rosenbaum, a better grasp of what moviegoers want to see he would have dwelled on this, eventually setting up a Graduate style bust-up at the wedding.

Instead most of the film dealt with his old high school buddies and pointless flashbacks to the pranks they pulled as teenagers.

In the end he heads back to L.A., sadder but wiser and with a new hot chick in his life.

Also in the end you ask yourself why did I waste time on this banal, rather un-funny and pointless film that lacks charm and direction...the script that is. Still, the director was also Rosenbaum.

Not very memorable

[spmact · 5/10 · 2 May 2014]

I saw the great reviews here and, while not expecting a lot, I decided to give this a chance (especially because I like Morena Baccarin). Unfortunately, she wasn't enough to save this film. Now I see that the glowing reviews were probably written by friends of the director. That's my only explanation for how a movie with a rating under 5 can have five of its six reviews give it 10 star ratings.

The movie wasn't horrible, but not very memorable either. It didn't have many laughs (I only chuckled a few times) and didn't really have much charm either. Instead it relied on cliché characters who, while really trying to be, just weren't very funny.

It's more of a commentary on wanting to recapture the good old days than a comedy.

If you want to see a funny movie about a high school reunion, I recommend American Reunion instead. That has more memorable characters, more charm and, more importantly, much more humour.

Entertaining, funny, and disgusting

[vchimpanzee · 11 July 2016]

If you're expecting an ordinary but overly silly romantic comedy, and not a masterpiece, this is pretty good.

As in most movies where the guy is marrying the wrong girl or the girl is marrying the wrong guy, there is one of those exciting and bizarre scenes.

After the reunion comes one of the movie's funniest scenes, which involves vomiting. No, it's not the vomiting that's so funny, but just the outrageous situations.

Morena Baccarin shows the talent that later got her a role in the respected TV series "Gotham". Her character is really likable, and she's one of the few intelligent people in the movie.

Michael Rosenbaum actually wrote and directed this, in addition to starring. My expectations of him may be a little high because of his outstanding role in "Smallville", but he does a good job here.

During Jim's commute on the 405 we are subjected for what passes for music in today's world. In a flashback there is actual music by Air Supply.

Is this fun for the whole family? Not even when cleaned up for broadcast. I hope I've provided enough hints. If not, let me say that at times every other sentence has a character's mouth blurred briefly with no sound. Skunk and his wife like S & M. One of the characters does Sharon Stone's move from "Basic Instinct". There are several scenes with nudity because of pranks or whatever.

Still, if you can handle Seth McFarlane's Fox sitcoms, you might be able to enjoy this.

Be sure and stay around for the outtakes with the closing credits!

short story stretched o..u..t

[ksf-2 · 5/10 · 31 May 2023]

Here, the same person wrote, directed, and starred in his own project. That doesn't always work out so well. Here, michael rosenbaum is jim, who returns home to attend his school reunion. And there's a bachelor party going on the same night. About 45 minutes in, the story seems to start. Jim hangs out with the bride-to-be while the groom is out getting drunk. And falls in love with her... so much that he considers staying in town. But no-one thinks that's a good idea. Can jim fix all this? There's a story here, but the script is so loose, and not much happens for the first half of the film. It felt like a lot of padding. Lots of time spent on mooning and teenage pranks. Some nudity. It's watchable, but keep the expectations low. This would have made a great short film. The only face I recognize here is stand-up harland williams as skunk.

Elitist rubbish for the middle class

[holistic-5 · 1/10 · 25 January 2015]

I couldn't make it through this film, turned it off after 30 painful minutes.

Stereotypes run rampant through the film. The "average" guys are hardly average, they are glorified in all their mediocrity. Nobody in this film seems real. Even the film score is painful, hardly representing music from the early 90s.

The humor in this film is dull, really it is more for "successful" folks to laugh at the losers they knew in high school. Basically it is the writers' wet dream of going to their high school reunion to laugh at all those poor sobs who didn't have the opportunity to make it to the middle class. Shame on you.

The acting is woeful, the leads are basically movie stars trying to pretend to be normal Americans. What a joke.

None of the main characters are likable, unless you can really relate with them, in which case, I just feel sorry for you. Don't waste your time with this one.

Another waste of celluloid and money

[robtaday · 1/10 · 30 March 2015]

Another flick I checked out for free from my local library. I don't know why I expected it to live up to anything good because it did not. The idea is that these guys are having their 20th high school reunion which would make them almost 40. Of course none of them approaches anything close to maturity that one would associate with that age. So in that sense it is all very Seinfeld-ish/Friends - you know - kids who never really grow up. The lead is rather boring and has no charisma whatsoever. There is a token black guy in the posse too, apparently the only black person in the entire city as well.

What really struck me about these '90s guys' was the amount of homosexual references in the film, but in the "modern" sense that such a thing (homosexuality) is really rather cool even though all the players have women. In the past, boys would taunt one another with this subject in a negative way but lately, as with this film and "This is the End" with Rogan and Franco, it is treated as if it is something all guys really get into and have no problem expressing to one another, albeit as a kind of joke. There is even a rather long shot of one character's penis, for no good reason and this same character is seen naked more than once in a homo-erotic way although he is married too.

As another reviewer stated, I too turned this movie off before it's conclusion so I really do not know or care how it ends. In the end, these men just come off like so much of the current ethos which is part apathy, part shallowness, part simply playing at being adult. I half expected their parents to call them home to supper. Oh, and the idea of the old high school principle treating these 40-year-olds like 16-year-olds is really very Welcome Back Kotter without any of the laughs. And why would the lead character give away such a sweet Mustang to another guy as a wedding present? You'd think he would have driven it to Hollywood.

The only character I really liked was the loser guy who ends up with the slutty ex-cheerleader. I am told most movies aimed at kids (particularly young boys) are like this. Too bad.

An embarrassment

[jordanlamborn · 3/10 · 15 October 2022]

Michael Rosenbaum is from the town i grew up and he came back to make a movie here which sounded pretty cool until this was the movie that came out of it. Immature toilet comedy. Desperate in it's attempts for laughs.

The best thing to come out of it was it got a real life school principal fired because of a scene in the movie.

Apparently, in the movie the principal has a naked guy in the back of his car but doesn't know it. There's full frontal nudity and everything. Why a guy who works around children all day thought this would be an appropriate thing to do is hilariously dumb.

I guess he thought he might become famous for being "the guy who doesn't know theres a naked man in his car." But it was not to be.

I'm not a very good writer but I've always been ashamed of the movie and I recently learned about the principal story so I thought that was a nice rotten cherry on top.

Very entertaining film, unlike the other generic films out there.

[callumfaulkner · 9/10 · 19 January 2014]

I had reservations heading into this film considering it's low score and lack of user reviews. In fact the lack of user reviews is what prompted me decide to write this, so that people had an idea what they were in for.

Obviously this movie isn't a big budget Hollywood comedy, however, it is far better than any generic comedy thrown your way this year. The film is filled with unique and original jokes that feel completely realistic as well as simultaneously unexpected and outrageous. The film really has an air of familiarity about it, you can really connect with the characters and goofs (despite some of the obvious clichés such as the arch nemesis Principal).

This isn't meant to be an extensive review and honestly I haven't really done that. But I do want to convey to anyone sitting on the fence - about whether or not to watch this film - that it is a thoroughly entertaining flick. Sort of like a more original, mature and actually watchable version of American Pie: Reunion, just without all the toilet humour and pointless gimmicks.... So actually nothing like AP:R at all.

Trust me, you will enjoy this film, give it a go and have fun!

Great film by Michael Rosenbaum

[joshuapehrson1 · 10/10 · 8 March 2014]

This film was much better than I expected it to be. I was constantly laughing at the crazy jokes and situations. The movie just seemed like it followed the lives of average people, the kind of people you were friends with in high school. Some of the situations were a little cheesy, but the movie ends differently than you would probably suspect. Michael Rosenbaum's character is an actor in L.A. who's having a difficult time finding work, so he goes home to get away from that for a while and go to his high school reunion. We meet his friends and his ex-girlfriend who he is still in love with. Good to watch a movie that doesn't give you the bs that everything will just work your way if you want it hard enough. Watch this film, you won't regret it.

Great, hilarious movie!

[sofianXmXh · 10/10 · 26 February 2014]

Believe me when I say that I am not much of a reviewer. To be honest, I have never written a review about anything... EVER. Not even for my all- time favorite records. This may get a little long-winded, but bear with me, for the sake of entertainment given to you by the one and only Michael Rosenbaum!

Let me start off by saying that it might be just a little odd to see Michael Rosenbaum with a full head of hair, especially if you were just watching another Smallville episode today, where he is still tight with a certain superhuman trying to fit in with the rest of the crowd, Clark Kent.

While I was watching the movie, I got some sort of flashback. This movie reminded me of something.. Another movie. American Pie: the Reunion, to be precisely. But do not let this stop you from watching this movie. Just because this has been done before, doesn't mean it's automatically bad.

The jokes are great, sometimes even subtle but they're good enough to let you laugh out loud, like I did. I'm not going to tell you what was funny, because I don't need to be added to the blacklist of reviewers, especially since, like I first mentioned, this is my first review here on IMDb.

It may just be a little early to call this movie "my favorite movie from 2014", but it really is. I just know it. I have a soft spot for these kind of movies.

I must be boring you out now, but let me say that the movie is at least 100 times more fun than this review.

Despite the fact that something like this has already been done (think of American Pie: the Reunion, and Grown Ups) this movie is not a cliché movie, not at all. It's a great movie that you can watch with your friends. I'd say you could watch it with your parents, but do you really want to sit uncomfortable next to them when you see some nudity on the screen? (Don't worry, it's not a lot... but just enough to not look directly into your mother's eye for at least another 30 minutes.)

I seriously recommend this movie to anyone out there. If you haven't seen it already, go check it out right now and see for yourself, that this movie truly is a great, hilarious movie!

Just watched it! *THUMBS UP* I laughed. I cried. I farted.

[jaytando · 10/10 · 24 April 2014]

Just watched it!

*THUMBS UP* I laughed. I cried. I farted.

Plenty of good laughs to be found in this film. Michael Rosenbaum wrote, directed, produced, and stars in this fun story about a guy going back home for his High School Class of 1994 twenty-year reunion. Great soundtrack with plenty of 80's nostalgia. His wacky adventures with his old high-school buddies are hysterical. It is a throwback to the classic 80's comedies like "Caddyshack" and "Animal House". Lots of toilet humor but hey it's not trying to be the next Oscar winner - it is just a fun raunchy romp with a madcap cast. I totally enjoyed it! Cheers!

Feel-good comedy by Michael Rosenbaum

[ramonaridgewell · 10/10 · 29 September 2014]

I just finished watching "Back in the Day" for the third time. I love this movie! It's an indie movie written and directed by Michael Rosenbaum, who also starred in it and was the executive producer. This is a sweet story about Jim, who is trying unsuccessfully to be an actor in Hollywood, and his attempt to recapture some of his youth and maybe find the meaning of happiness by returning to his small town in Indiana for a class reunion. While the ensuing madness is littered with potty humor, I still connected with the story, perhaps because it could have been the small town I grew up in.

After arriving in Newburgh, Jim immediately falls back in with his group of high school buddies and they revert to their old selves, getting drunk, getting revenge for old grievances, and maybe falling back in love. The group, including Jim's former lover, Lori, soon revolves around Jim who held it together back in the day. But life has moved on and we soon find everyone's life turned upside down by Jim's return.

Rosenbaum did a fine job on his first foray into writing and directing a full-length movie. The story is solid. The scenery around his home town is beautiful and used to good effect. The music from the late '80's is fitting.

Perhaps because Rosenbaum was writing about his actual friends, the characters feel authentic and we are able to relate to them as real people. His town rallied around him and almost all of the movie was filmed there on location. The modest homes were real, as was the bar where they hang out, and the high school where the reunion dance is held. I remember the same kind of people and places from my own teen-age years. I was comfortable with this movie and enjoyed it tremendously. If you wait through the credits, there is a memorial to the actual Skunk (Jon Snyder), who passed away late last year, as well as a recent photo of Rosenbaum and his high school buddies.

If you are looking for a feel-good comedy, I would definitely recommend buying "Back in the Day".

New favorite movie

[Eannsu · 10/10 · 20 January 2014]

I LOVED this movie! It is filled with lots of love, friendship, and laughter. It was made by an extremely talented actor. Michael Rosenbaum is a very talented man, with a passion that I have not really seen, ever. He picked the perfect cast for it. He did a great job writing, directing and acting it this movie. He is a very talented man that does not always get the credit he deserves. The movie does have some nudity but there is very little. Back in The Day is a movie that is very refreshing, especially where movies today are overly romantic or overly action packed. I just can't stop watching it because it is funny, and makes your horrible days happy! Everyone should give this movie a shot, it's worth watching!

From Homeland to garbage...

[Esken · 18 November 2014]

Beautiful actress Morena Baccarin might have made some weird decisions during her life for all i know, and she couldn't have known what she said yes to when she said yes to do this film. She played the wife of Brody in Homeland, and did a great job. And then the next thing i see her in is THIS!! This awful film where absolutely nothing is funny!!

There aren't just a few things her that makes this completely awful. First of all the storyline is painfully bad. The build-up just breaks down, and there are scenes with characters that we totally don't care about. It's like the director didn't have a long enough script so he throws in a sex-scene that is supposed to be funny, but the hair on the back of my neck stands up, but for all the wrong reasons...

I am a person who have to finish a film, and i've stopped telling people not to see films because their bad. I actually want people to see the bad films, because doing so makes us really appreciate the good ones...

People's comments are obviously written by friends of the director, Michael Rosenbaum. Okay actor from Smallville who suddenly think he's gonna do a Todd Phillips-movie. He couldn't have been more wrong, so do us all a favor, please stop!! Back to people's comments: There is no chance in h**l that people can enjoy this as much as they express in here. So yeah, friends of the director!

But by all means... Knock yourself out - literally :)

Funny and heartfelt

[revellodrive-49196 · 10/10 · 20 April 2015]

Fantastic cast, great soundtrack... I liked it the first time I saw it, but it wasn't what I expected. Afterwards I couldn't get it out of my mind - I kept thinking about it for days, wanting to watch it again. I finally did, and I love it. It's not just another reunion movie with bad jokes and gags, it's got something more... something else. It's heartfelt, and very human. The characters are, well, people - people you can relate to, and feel for, like old friends. There were a lot of comments and details I didn't remember from the first time I saw it, that really adds that little something extra. Sure it's got some stupid jokes (it's a buddy-movie, come on), but people can be stupid. And we love 'em for it.

"Back In The Day" - although based on a frequently used concept - captures a certain atmosphere, and creates it's own bubble (probably very familiar to people from Newburgh) and the movies that I feel accomplish that are always my favorites.

Better the second time around

[pixfan · 9/10 · 28 September 2023]

I recently rewatched this film again after hearing an interview with Nick Swardson on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast. I really loved this film and enjoyed it more the 2nd time after hearing about how it was made. It's a really sweet story based on Mr. Rosenbaum and friends he grew up with. The performances are excellent - funny in an understated way and very natural - part of what makes them so funny. He has assembled a great group of actors. He never takes the story out of the realm of being believable. He's captured that slice of life recollection of what happens when you move away from your small town to pursue your career and dreams in a big city - how some people get left behind while you figure out what you're doing with your life and how there are some regret & it's not so easy and glamorous when things don't go according to plan. So many of us have the story of how we went through this. Thank you to Mr. Rosenbaum for making this film and telling his story in a funny, good-natured and insightful way. So many films today have gotten so cynical and violent. It's good to watch something uplifting written from the hear and made with a lot of heart.

So great!

[shorym · 10/10 · 19 July 2023]

Love this movie. It's so funny! Rosie made a classic!

I don't understand the hate that this movie has, I guess if you are uptight you may not like it. If you have a sense of humor, it's easy to enjoy and laugh your butt off!

The acting is great, also. Nothing felt forced. It was funny and felt natural. I throughly enjoyed the movie and subsequent playthroughs. I'm not sure what else to say about this, but go see this movie! You'll have a great time and will laugh a lot.

That's all I have to say, but there's a character limit to post this so.... Go watch this, listen to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, it's great also. So is the Talkville podcast. Ok, that's all. Peace out!

Buuuh

[j-egeberg · 11 August 2014]

This movie just straight up sucks! Is it even allowed to call this movie a comedy?

All the characters are trying so hard to be funny, and to be someone they're clearly not, it's painful to watch.

This is NOT a classic funny high-school/college "f***-shit-up" movie. It really is a "so-what" movie.. It could have been better, if only Michael Rosenbaum's directing didn't suck so hard.

I would not recommend watching this.

And it really does seem as if the good reviews for this movie is in fact written by friends of actor/director Michael Rosenbaum.

Great movie, even better if went to high school in the early 90's!

[crunkae · 10/10 · 14 January 2015]

First off I have to say that I am a really big SciFi fan and I really like the work that both Micheal Rosenbaum and Morena Baccarin have done in the past. I was curious about watching this movie because I know Rosenbaum wrote, directed and produced the movie.

I have to agree with the previous reviewer in that this movie had some great jokes, and was a bit more mature than your typical mid life crisis can't go home again type film. To my surprise the script was much more mature and realistic in the way it addressed the reactions and emotions of someone who is still not ready to move on from their first love.

Rosenbaum clearly wrote the characters based on friends he had growing up. In doing so there is a depth of authenticity that is infused throughout the entire film. You can related to these characters or at least on some level you can remember friends from your teenage past that exemplifies the traits of one or more of the characters.

This film is a great comedy. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. I was delighted to see that Rosenbaum was even able to get the rights to play Air Supply in the movie!

Love it!

[cinnamonkisses98 · 10/10 · 8 February 2021]

This movie turned a bad day good! No one claimed this movie was supposed to be Academy award winning! It does exactly what it's supposed to. It made me feel nostalgic, it made me laugh, and it made me feel happy. This movie has now been added to my all time favourites! It'll definitely be one I watch when I need a pick me up!

Definitely a Favorite

[jillslittlecreations · 10/10 · 8 December 2015]

I have adored Michael Rosenbaum for many years and this movie is definitely one of my favorites. There's a lot of Michael in this movie (and I don't mean the fact that he wrote, produced, directed and starred in it). You can really tell he put a lot of heart into telling this story, of his life basically. His character makes you feel, not just for him, but the man behind him.....for Michael. He makes you wanna know him on a deeper, more personal level. In watching this character, you're actually getting a glimpse into Michael's life. He has so many talents and the main one's you get to see here are not just how funny he is, but you get to see the love he has for his friends. It's an amazing film and I would recommend it to anyone whether you're a fan or not, I think a lot of people can relate to what "Jim" is going through. Plus, hello, 80's references lol