NEVER CHANGE!

(director/writer: Marty Shousboe; screenwriter: John Reynolds, story by Shousboe & Reynolds; cinematographer: Matt Clegg; editor: Whit Conway; music: Mike Malarkey; cast: Mohammed J. Ali (Guy who looks like Curtis), John Reynolds (Sunny), Nate Varrone (Ron), Gary Richardson (Curtis), Carmen Christofer (Tedi), Tommy Armstrong (Teen 2), Joe Firestone (Amelia), Matt Barats (Matt Clinger), Sofia Black-D’Elia (Katie Cartwright), Ana Gasteyer (Principal Nadler), Billy Bryck (Kai), Maria Thayer (Mrs. Jankey, teacher); Runtime: 103; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Jeremy Garelick, Nicholas Halton, Will Phelps, Jon Watts, Jason Wolinar, Billy Rosenberg, Jason Zaro; American High; 2026)

“The film’s a mess.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
 
Marty Shousboe (“Party Time Party Time”) directs this crude comedy about 30-somethings who are forced to return to school to get their high school diploma in suburbia. He co-writes it with John Reynolds, that’s based on a cringe-worthy story they wrote together.

A tornado in 2008 destroyed the records of North Meadows High School. 17 years later, the senior class is forced to finish the last two weeks of school that wasn’t completed. Students such as the valedictorian Amelia (Joe Firestone), the idler Tedi (Carmen Christopher), the actor Curtis (Gary Richardson), the jock Sunny (John Reynolds), and the troublemaker Katie (Sofia Black-D’Elia) return and relive their senior year by putting on a play, taking final exams and reliving their past as adults. Principal Nadler (Ana Gasteyer), Amelia’s mother, is ordered by the school board to make the back-to-school order to work.

The film’s a mess, it’s poorly written, not funny, and the characters are insufferable. It’s not possible to believe the absurd premise even if you wanted to.

REVIEWED ON 7/2/2026  GRADE: D
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