“The Thing Before The Thing” (** out of four) was a saccharine melodrama comedy about a group of college friends (Keri Blunt, Crash Buist, Kim Estes, Katie Locke O’Brien, and others) who reunite over a weekend getaway to celebrate the retirement of their mentor (Tim O’Leary) who brought them all together and this unearths old secrets and new feelings from all of them. Yet another attempt to recreate the magic and vibrance of “The Big Chill” which is a big disappointment; whimsical without being especially funny and never escapes sitcom level. Co-star O’Brien was also one of film’s co-writers.