Susan Granger’s review:”National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Reunion” (TBS Superstation)
National Lampoon’s long tradition of irreverent comedies hits a new low with this made-for-television movie. The story begins with Dr. Mitch Snider (Judge Reinhold), anesthesiologist to the stars, removing Britney Spears’ appendix – or, rather, the surgeon does it while he keeps her unconscious. Soon after, at home, Mitch bemoans the lack of Thanksgiving spirit: “Why can’t we celebrate as a family?” “Because we don’t have any,” his wife (Hallie Todd) notes. Then an unexpected invitation arrives from Woody (Bryan Cranston of “Malcolm in the Middle”), a long-lost cousin he never knew he had. Immediately, Mitch packs his two kids and Uncle Phil, a lonely neighbor, into the family’s new Mercedes SUV and heads for Pinkney, Idaho, to celebrate the holiday. “This trip is important to your father,” his wife chirps, “no matter how it inconveniences the rest of us.” But chaos ensues when Mitch discovers that he’s entered a hippie enclave. Woody’s a sweet-natured former football player and his wife (Penelope Warren) is a free-spirited former groupie. Penniless, they’ve never left Woodstock frame-of-mind, eschewing “bad vibes, bad karma.” Or could these whacked-out relatives have their own agenda? Directed by Neal Israel (“Bachelor Party”) from a script by Marc Warren & Dennis Rinsler (“Full House”), it’s not only formulaic but totally predictable. Even Robert E. Seaman’s camerawork is amateurish. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Reunion” is a gross 3. It premieres on TBS Superstation on Sun., Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. with encores at 10 p.m. and midnight; more encores on Wed., Nov. 26 at 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and midnight. If the tryptophan in the turkey doesn’t put you to sleep, this may.
