Taglines: You don’t get to choose your family.
After the bizarre death of her brother, Johana Burwood must return home after four years to face her quirky family, including her estranged dad, her two competitive brothers and various significant others.
The family is uncomfortable with each other at first, and their inner turmoil manifests itself in quarrels and outright fights. Johana is forced to face some secrets from her past when she runs into an old boyfriend who just can’t seem to let go. It’s only when tensions are at a breaking point that someone comes up with a brilliant idea that will send their departed brother off with incredible style.
Film Review for See You in Valhalla
A dysfunctional family is uncomfortably reunited in Jarret Tarnol’s strained comedy/drama that unaccountably throws Norse mythology into its awkward mix. Starring the appealing Sarah Hyland, who would have been much better off sticking with her Modern Family, See You in Valhalla desperately strains for humor and pathos amidst its sea of forced quirkiness.
The story begins with the bizarre suicide of the Viking-obsessed “Magnus” (Jake McDorman) which involves a meth dealer and a sword. Reuniting in their grief is his sister Johanna (Hyland, also one of the film’s producers), who fled her hometown years earlier after a personal trauma; uptight brother Don (Michael Weston) and his insufferable, Republican teenage daughter (Odeya Rush); gay psychologist brother Barry (Bret Harrison), accompanied by his stoner/personal trainer Hawaiian boyfriend Makewi (Steve Howey); and widower father Woody (Conor O’Farrell) whose new girlfriend is his much younger, hippie nurse (Emma Bell). Making a later appearance is Johanna’s ex-boyfriend (Beau Mirchoff) whose arrival leads to a dramatic revelation about Johanna’s past.
The resulting strained interpersonal dynamics are the focus of Brent Tarnol’s (the director’s brother) cliché-ridden script which culminates in, you guessed it, the family deciding to give Magnus the proper Viking funeral that he deserves.
Featuring stereotypical characterizations and painfully awkward dialogue, the film treats its dramatic themes with a wince-inducing shallowness. Virtually nothing in the drawn-out proceedings works on any level, and the characters are so inherently unlikeable that being in their company is as painful for viewers as it is for them. And while Howey provides some goofily amusing moments and Hyland manages to invest her role with emotional grace notes, the rest of the performances are strictly one-note. By the time the seemingly endless film finally its conclusion, audience members will be experiencing a powerful desire to reach Valhalla themselves.
See You in Valhalla
Directed by: Jarret Tarnol
Starring: Sarah Hyland, Bret Harrison, Steve Howey, Odeya Rush, Michael Weston, Emma Bell, Jamie Wozny, Allie Gonino
Screenplay by: Brent Tarnol
Production Design by: Susannah Lowberx
Cinematography by: Gavin Kelly
Film Editing by: Joseph D. Carella
Costume Design by: Victor A. Sandoval
Set Decoration by: Madelaine Frezza, Jane Madden
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexual references and drug use.
Studio: Arc Entertainment
Release Date: April 24, 2015
Visits: 52
