'The D Train' Movie Review: Jaw-Dropping Surprises

— -- Starring Jack Black and James MarsdenRated RFour out of five stars

There are rarely surprises at the movies these days. So allow me to tell you about "The D Train," which isn’t just filled with surprising plot points, it features two surprising performances. I’m keeping this review short and relatively spoiler-free because I want this movie to surprise you as much as it did me.

Here are the basics:

Jack Black plays Dan Landsman, the self-appointed chairman of his high school reunion committee in Pittsburgh. Dan, in his mind, thinks he’s the man, but he’s about the only one who does. The rest of the people on the committee do their best to avoid him outside of their meetings, where they’re having very little luck getting alumni interested in the reunion. That is, until late one night, when Dan’s watching TV and a commercial for Banana Boat sunscreen comes on -- the star of which is none other than former high school class stud Oliver Lawless (James Marsden).

In Dan’s mind, the Banana Boat commercial means Oliver has made it in Hollywood as an actor. He tells the committee that if he gets Oliver to RSVP to the reunion, the rest of the class will follow because Oliver’s a “famous” actor. Dan takes a trip out to Los Angeles to convince Oliver to come back to Pittsburgh for the reunion, a trip predicated on several lies that could land Dan in hot water with his boss and wife.

Once in LA, Dan and Oliver hit it off and start to party, and party hard. I’ll just leave it at that.

Black kills it. Marsden nails it. These are two terrific talents who give some of the best performances of their careers. To be sure, Black is funny, but he’s never been so vulnerable or empathetic, while Marsden, the model of consistency, takes his game to another level.

"The D Train" is an original take on the clichéd reunion story we’ve seen so many times before, but it’s not for the faint of heart. This is an intelligent, dark comedy with a hard R rating. The score and soundtrack are also exceptional: if you grew up in the 80s, it’ll make you want to get up and dance -- if you can first pick up your jaw from the movie theater floor, because there are moments in The D Train that are actually jaw-dropping. Enjoy the surprises.