Michael Rosenbaum isn't just the guy who played Lex Luthor. For a lot of people, he’s the guy who finally captured that weird, gut-punching realization that you can never actually go home again. At least, not the way you remember it. When Back in the Day hit theaters and VOD in 2014, it didn't have the billion-dollar marketing budget of a Marvel movie. It didn't need it. It had something more relatable: a mid-life crisis fueled by a high school reunion and a healthy dose of Indiana nostalgia.
It’s personal.
Rosenbaum wrote, directed, and starred in the film because he wanted to tell a story about his own roots in Newburgh, Indiana. You can feel that. It isn't a glossy Hollywood version of the Midwest. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s full of people who peaked in 1994 and people who are desperately trying to prove they’ve moved on, even when they haven’t. If you’ve ever sat in your car outside your childhood home and felt like a ghost, this movie was written for you.
The Plot That Every 30-Something Knows by Heart
The setup for Back in the Day is deceptively simple. Jim Owens, played by Rosenbaum, is a struggling actor in Los Angeles. He’s doing insurance commercials. He’s not a superstar. He’s just a guy. When he heads back to Indiana for his high school reunion, he’s looking for something. Validation? Maybe. A second chance with "the one who got away"? Definitely.
That "one" is Lori, played by Morena Baccarin. She’s great here. She brings a groundedness to a role that could have easily been a trope. She didn't leave; she stayed, got engaged, and built a life. The tension between Jim’s "big city" aspirations and Lori’s small-town reality is the engine that drives the whole film. It isn't just about romance, though. It’s about the friction between who we were and who we’ve become.
Jim hooks up with his old crew, and that's where the movie gets its comedic teeth. You’ve got Nick Swardson, Harland Williams, and Isaiah Mustafa. It’s a bit of a Smallville reunion too, with Sarah Colonna and others popping up. They spend the weekend drinking, breaking into their old high school, and trying to recapture a spark that probably went out a decade ago. It’s funny, sure, but there’s a persistent undercurrent of sadness.
Why the Critics Were Wrong (And Right)
Critics weren't exactly kind to Back in the Day. If you look at the Rotten Tomatoes scores from back then, they’re pretty brutal. They called it juvenile. They said it relied too much on "bro-humor." And honestly? Some of that is true. There are fart jokes. There is a lot of drinking. There are moments where the humor feels like it stepped straight out of 1999.
But they missed the point.
The "juvenile" nature of the characters is intentional. That’s what happens when you go back to your hometown. You regress. You start talking like a teenager again. You make the same stupid jokes you made when you were seventeen because, in that specific geographic location, you are seventeen. Rosenbaum captured that regression perfectly. It’s not always pretty, but it’s real.
The film explores the "Peter Pan syndrome" without being overly preachy about it. Jim wants to stay in the past because his present in LA is kind of a failure. His friends want him to stay in the past because it validates their choices to never leave. It’s a cycle of mutual nostalgia that eventually has to break.
A Cast That Feels Like a Real Friend Group
One thing Back in the Day gets right is the chemistry. Because Rosenbaum is a well-liked figure in the industry, he pulled in a cast that actually feels like they’ve known each other forever.
- Isaiah Mustafa: Long before he was the "Old Spice Guy," he showed he had genuine comedic timing here.
- Nick Swardson: He does what Swardson does best—playing the slightly unhinged, high-energy friend who pushes every situation too far.
- Harland Williams: His eccentric energy adds a layer of unpredictable surrealism to the Midwestern setting.
- Morena Baccarin: She acts as the emotional anchor. Without her, the movie might have drifted off into pure slapstick.
The cameos are the icing on the cake. Seeing Emma Caulfield or Kristoffer Polaha pop up reminds you that this was a passion project made by people who actually like working together. It feels like a home movie with a professional budget. That intimacy is rare in modern cinema.
The Indiana Connection
You can’t talk about Back in the Day without talking about the setting. Filmed largely in Newburgh and Evansville, the movie is a love letter to the tri-state area. It captures the humid summers, the specific look of a Midwestern pizza parlor, and the architecture of a high school gym.
For people from Indiana, this movie is a Rorschach test. Some see a funny comedy; others see a terrifyingly accurate depiction of their own lives. Rosenbaum didn't just use Indiana as a backdrop; he made it a character. The local references—the bars, the streets, the vibe—give the film an authenticity that "hometown" movies filmed in Vancouver or Georgia usually lack.
The Soundtrack of Nostalgia
Music plays a huge role in how we remember our past, and the film leans into this. It uses music not just as background noise, but as a bridge to 1994. When those tracks hit, they trigger the same dopamine response in the audience that they do in Jim Owens. It’s a clever way to align the viewer’s emotions with the protagonist’s journey.
Lessons from the Reunion
What did we actually learn from Jim Owens?
First, your high school sweetheart is probably happy without you. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a lot of movie protagonists, but Back in the Day handles it with a surprising amount of grace. Lori isn't waiting to be "saved" from her small-town life. She likes her life. Jim is the one who needs saving, and he has to realize that he can't find that salvation in a person he haven't spoken to in fifteen years.
Second, closure is a myth. You don't go back and "fix" the past. You just visit it, realize it doesn't fit anymore, and go back to your actual life. By the end of the film, Jim isn't necessarily a "new man," but he’s a man who has finally stopped looking in the rearview mirror.
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How to Watch Back in the Day in 2026
If you’re looking to revisit this cult classic, it’s easier than you’d think. While it isn't always on the "Top 10" list on Netflix, it frequently pops up on ad-supported streaming services like Tubi or Pluto TV. You can also find it for rent on the usual suspects like Amazon Prime or Apple TV.
It’s the perfect "Saturday night with a beer" movie. Don't go into it expecting Citizen Kane. Go into it expecting to laugh at some dumb jokes and maybe feel a little bit of a sting when you realize how much time has passed since your own graduation.
Actionable Next Steps for the Nostalgic Viewer:
- Check your local listings: If you're in the Midwest, keep an eye out for local screenings. Rosenbaum still has deep ties to the area and occasionally does charity events involving his films.
- Host a "Rewind" Night: Pair Back in the Day with other mid-2010s indie comedies like Grosse Pointe Blank or Garden State for a triple feature on the theme of returning home.
- Follow the Cast: Many of the actors, especially Rosenbaum through his Inside of You podcast, frequently talk about the making of this film and the challenges of indie filmmaking. It provides a great "behind the scenes" look at how a project like this gets off the ground.
- Dig into the Soundtrack: Look up the official tracklist. It’s a curated list of songs that perfectly encapsulate that 90s-to-2000s transition period.
The movie reminds us that while the past is a nice place to visit, you definitely wouldn't want to live there. Back in the Day stands as a testament to the fact that even if you can't go home again, you can at least have a pretty wild weekend trying.