This film has a bright high concept idea but couldn't they have made the ex a bit more of a psycho? As played by Ashely Greene she's a bit forthright but she's hot, loves sex, wants Anton Yelchin to (gasp) eat tofu and soy, and is (gasp) into the environment and (gasp) redecorates their place and has doubts about his business acumen... I mean why not make her an abusive bitch? Really manipulative? So it's actually sad when she dies. Then when Anton finds his manic pixie dream girl,Alexa Daddario (dancing on her own, into Val Lewton movies, runs ice cream store, just wants to have sex) we are... meant to go "yay them"?
The movie this reminded me of was My Super Ex Girlfriend - like that I sense the male writer and director thought they could do a riff on bitches be crazy but like in that movie the sympathy goes to the bitch. I mean, Greene gets run over, she doesn't have any family apart from Yelchin, then she comes back from the dead, and he was going to dump her, then plans to kill her... Yes she wants to kill him and Daddario but it's kind of hard to get too shocked.
There is still a lot to like about the film. The actors are winning, Oliver Cooper is heaps of fun as Yelchin's dodgy mate, it is directed with pace and affection by Dante. I thinnk the script just needed another draft. There's all sort of interesting ideas that aren't explored, like Greene coming back and being horny, and cooking food, and the zombie lore. And also It hink they needed to be clearer who we had sympathy fore.
Nice to see Dick Miller again even if he is awfully old.
No comments:
Post a Comment