High school reunions can be an interesting event. Not only are they an opportunity to reconnect with people from our past but sometimes there could be something more. A second chance at love. Professional networking. Revenge. The Afterparty plays with these themes while incorporating a murder mystery.
Xavier (James Franco) is an entertainment superstar and the most famous alum of his high school. The night of the reunion, he holds an afterparty where he is murdered. The guests, which include escape room designer Aniq (Sam Richardson), entrepreneur and aspiring musician Yasper (Ben Schwartz), artist Zoe (Zoë Chao), school bully and Zoe’s ex-husband Brett (Ike Barinholtz), former class president Chelsea (Alana Glazer), and wallflower Walt (Jamie Demetriou), are all potential killers.
Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) interviews the witnesses/suspects one by one to try to solve the case. Each episode is told from a character’s perspective gradually putting the big picture together piece by piece. Adding to the individuality of each person, their stories are retold in a style of genre matching the perspective and personality.
That last part is one of The Afterparty’s strongest traits offering a deferential ode to modern cinema. A minor character’s recollection provides a glimpse of things to come as her brief tale mirrors a black and white arthouse indie film. Director, Christopher Miller, manages to capture the essence of the different genres effectively.
From the charm and playfulness of a rom-com with magical spontaneous moments to the elaborate choreographed numbers and catchy songs of a musical. He can even match the types of movies visually using appropriately filtered lenses such as in the Brett-centric action thriller. They are all fine nods to their fields but Miller also is able to incorporate these elements seamlessly without detracting from the main narrative. It is done in a way that can still maintain a grounded story.
The Afterparty also boasts a strong and affable cast. Some members assume familiar roles like Barinholtz as the kind of douchey guy with a big heart that grows on you, Schwartz as a toned-down Jean-Ralphio, or Haddish as the smart-mouthed detective with attitude. Though we’ve seen similar work from them before, it’s still very enjoyable.
Most impressive is Richardson. Often the sidekick or comic relief, he proves he can be a leading man and carry a series. Acting in the different genres allows him to show more of his range. He has more than enough chemistry with Chao that you root for their characters to get together but he can also hit the more serious instances as one of the main suspects. Aniq is working against the clock hoping to solve the crime before Danner and clear his name. And of course, Richardson has the comedic side down.
It’s a fun ride watching each episode, diving into the characters, and seeing how connected various events are. We discover there are more than one side to a story and to let everything play out before jumping to conclusions.
However, the mystery itself isn’t as engaging as the personal stories. The reveals don’t seem to register and the cliffhangers don’t excite. It’s still early and maybe when the bigger picture becomes clearer, they’ll have more of an impact but the premise, genre-defying storytelling, and cast overshadow the whodunit aspect.
In addition, the references seem off compared to the timeline and ages of the characters. The excitement for the music selection and love of ska are half a decade off for people that graduated high school in 2006. Lord and Miller were attached to The Afterparty ever since 2013 when it was originally a film and maybe parts of the script weren’t updated.
Through the first three episodes, the spectacular cast and spotlight on varying genres are enough to carry the series and keep it interesting until the murder mystery can find its footing.
New episodes of The Afterparty are released Fridays on Apple TV+.
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