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Acting
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Directing
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Story
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly
Director: Jeff Baena
Running Time: 89 mins
Life After Beth is an American film about a young man who finds that his recently deceased girlfriend has been resurrected, however she isn’t anything like he remembers her.
Well, this is a different twist on the rom-com genre. It’s definitely not generic, nor is it particularly boring, but I didn’t really find it that funny or hugely engaging to watch. It’s got a decent story, and some pretty hilarious big jokes throughout, but it does feel a little bit long-winded.
However, I’ll start with the whole story. Even though you know that this guy’s girlfriend is about to come back from the dead, the opening stages of this film are actually quite tense and intriguing, while the following stages are even more exciting and entertaining to watch.
The other interesting thing about this film is how unexpectedly dark a turn it takes once everything spirals out of control. Initially, it seems like a bit of a quirky take on the rom-com genre, however as the story unfolds, it all becomes amazingly dark and almost apocalyptic, but it is an unexpected break from what you expect going into this film.
Also, this film does have some pretty good performances. Dane DeHaan is quite a likeable and intriguingĀ central character, John C. Reilly puts a very strong impression on the film despite his supporting role, however Aubrey Plaza’s hilariously terrifying performance as Beth was brilliant to watch.
However, the problem with this film was the fact that it wasn’t actually that funny. The comedy was pretty poor in my opinion, and I never really laughed at anything in this film, apart from some of the trailer jokes, but nonetheless, this film still gets a 6.7.