Life After Beth (2014) User Reviews

Melancholic zomcom

[justbob1982 · 7/10 · 8 January 2016]

Version: Grimm Up North festival screening

Actors: 7/10

Plot/script: 7/10

Photography/visual style: 7/10

Music/score: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

It's astonishing how broad the range can be even within a sub-genre of films. Life After Beth is best described as a 'horror comedy', and yet it is completely different to other horror comedies I saw on the very same day.

The comedy comes from the situation, not the characters, who are played pretty straight. Beth (Aubrey Plaza) comes back from the dead, forcing her boyfriend Zach (Dane DeHaan) and parents (John C Reilly and Molly Shannon) to confront their grief and the conflicted feelings they have about her and their lives with her. Over the film, her behaviour becomes more abnormal, and other undead appear, causing increasing chaos.

The pacing and balance of the film are remarkably well managed. Plaza does a great job with her performance, slowly showing increasing signs of deterioration from ordinary teenage girl to mindless zombie, and each other character's reaction to the bizarre situation is shown to be ridiculous at one point or another. I note that director Jeff Baena's main other contribution to film is co-writing the script for David O. Russell's surreal comedy 'I Heart Huckabees', and I think he should really be seen as a writer who has taken up directing.

Lots of ideas are explored through Life After Beth, such as grief and the way our memories change as time passes. There is a little bit of action and tension, but mainly this is a melancholic, thoughtful piece which brings humour out of the behaviour of normal people in an abnormal situation. It's a writer's film, and an actor's film, and I found it rather touching as well as entertaining.

An interesting "horror" comedy with some new spins on the sub-genre

[JohnnyPHreak · 5/10 · 3 October 2014]

The trailer for Life After Beth had me so excited. The cast alone was a treat. Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, Matthew Grey Gubler and Aubry Plaza. For any offbeat comedy, that's a can't miss. Even better for me was the film they were all in was a horror comedy. The trailer came off like a rom-zom-com in the vein of Shaun of the Dead. I was all on board. It took me forever to come across the film but it didn't play out like I thought it would be.

DeHaan stars as Zach the ex-boyfriend of the title character Beth (Plaza) who is going through a rough time. Right before Beth's death, she dumped him. He's not taking it well. His whole wardrobe is heaped in black. He's avoiding his parents (Reiser and Cheryl Hines) and alienated by his by the rules brother (Grey Gubler). He finds solace in Beth's parents (Reilly and Shannon) who actually treat him more like a son than his own parents. But when they stop contacting him he goes to some extremes, borderline stalking, to find out why. He comes to find out they have been hiding Beth. She's not dead but not alive either.

What follows is some hilarity but mostly teenage angst and a weird zombie apocalypse. This film is more a teenage drama comedy with lite sprinkles of horror. It's seems that everyone isn't in on the gag. For the most part everyone plays it straight. DeHaan the most, but he, like the audience, is just trying to adjust to this very odd situation. It works well for him as when craziness does ensue his reactions are natural. He's just trying to make the best of a very new situation and he gives off that he truly loves Beth.

The best comedic moments are given to Reilly and Shannon who are overjoyed their daughter has returned from the grave. And they will do anything to keep that from getting out. Reilly has some great one-liners especially when pitted against the straight act of DeHaan. Sadly 20 minutes before the film ends something happens with his character off screen and it just seems like the film loses what comic edge it has. Grey Gubler gets one really funny scene when the zombies start emerging in numbers. I felt like Reiser and Hines were kind of wasted. Their one standout moment is a nice play on the dead returning to where they use to live. Plaza downplays her normal snarky character here. The best moments are when she goes full on zombie. She gets a chance to channel her main character trait into some primal violence.

The film isn't as funny nor as gory as I had expected. Thinking about a zom-rom-com I thought maybe there would be a bit more gore and humor. But it's most played as people just trying to deal with unexplained situation. It felt like a drama more than anything. But there are some nice plays on the been there done that zombie genre. I guess I over hyped myself because the film I wanted wasn't the film I got. For any fan of the genre the tweaks in the zombie myths are cool. DeHaan, Reilly and Shannon hold the film together each getting a good laugh out loud moment.

Had potential, but...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 17 December 2015]

The synopsis of this movie is what caught my interest, and the DVD cover also brandished 'the best zom-rom-com since Shaun of the Dead'. So I will say that the playing field for this movie was right there for a home-run.

But the movie turned out to be just another mediocre zombie movie, and I will say that "Warm Bodies" was much, much better than "Life After Beth". So there is a comparison for you right there.

While "Life After Beth" started out alright, then director Jeff Baena set up the scenario for more than he could handle, and t he movie just fell to a heap of disappointing pieces.

There wasn't a single moment throughout the movie that made me laugh, so for a comedy, then the movie failed to deliver. The movie was adequate entertainment, don't get me wrong, but it hardly sustains more than a single viewing.

The cast list was good though, and people were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters.

"Life After Beth" was a mediocre movie that set out to accomplish more than it could handle, and as such it scores a very mediocre five out of ten stars from me.

Life After Beth (2014)

[jonahstewartvaughan · 7/10 · 12 February 2023]

Life After Beth (2014)

(7/10):A fun, heartwarming zombie rom-com that is led by the great Aubrey Plaza, who is enough reason to watch it.

After his girlfriend,Beth, suddenly dies, Zach is distraught and has overwhelming feelings of grievance and seeks comfort in Beth's parents. After a little while of not hearing back from them though he begins to sneak over to their house and see if they're hiding anything from him. Turns out they are, Beth, to his confused amazement is alive and well and he then resumes his relationship with her but under strict rules set by her parents to avoid anyone, including Beth, that she is essentially a walking corpse.

I wasn't expecting much from it but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise as Dane DeHaan was solid as Zach and John C. Reilly is Beth's dad, plus even a small appearance from Anna Kendrick. However I think that Aubrey Plaza just owns this movie, that is until it shifts more to her actually being a feral zombie and then it becomes more of a tragedy.

It seems to have a persistent feeling of being very awkward, but I think that's part of its charm.

As a zombie fan you will have to stick it out for a while before it gets to the gore but it's there, still it plays itself much into a dark rom-com with a horror based premise so gore is not its priority either.

I find it's a fun and quirky little flick that can hit that sweet spot for horror fans and rom-com lovers alike, especially around Valentine's Day.

I recommend it, it's a fun one.

What is it?

[Jerghal · 6/10 · 6 November 2014]

Ah, the zombie genre...Is there still anything we haven't seen before? Life after Beth takes a swing at the RomZomCom sub-genre but it biggest problem is that it isn't really anything. I suppose it's meant to be funny but there's nothing really funny about it. It isn't dramatic either or dark or creepy or anything. The trailer didn't seem to bad (and looked rather funny, reminded me a bit of Fido) but the writers don't seem to know what to do with the idea (a girl dies and returns as a zombie but doesn't know it and everyone's trying to keep it a secret). It won't be a big success because it doesn't appeal to anyone in particular and won't be remembered as a classic or even a great addition to the zombie genre.

Neither funny nor scary "comedy/horror" so what was the point?

[Seth_Rogue_One · 4/10 · 17 November 2014]

Starts out decent enough, initially I thought that it was a good thing that the movie started straight away with Beth being dead so you wouldn't just sit and wait for her to die so she could finally come back from the dead.

But really in retrospect, had there been any scenes of her life and her relationsship with Zach perhaps that would make the viewer understand exactly what it was that Zach fell for in Beth in the first place.

Cause the "living dead" Beth has zero personality, and she doesn't seem to care much about Zach after her death (nor anything else for that matter) so it's hard to see why Zach would still be so deeply in love with her based on her personality after death, it surely must have differed a bit.

But then again, most characters in this movie are one-tracked one- dimensional beings so maybe not, maybe she always was like that, which would just add more confusion as to why Zach (who is a fairly normal kid) would like her that much.

But then again not much about this movie makes much sense.

I guess it tries to be sort of a dark comedy but it's not dark enough, dark comedy is supposed to shock the viewer or be slightly disturbing at least, this movie just fails at that completely, and the horror aspect of the movie: forget about it.

I don't know why John C Reilly who I like tons would appear in this movie, based on his performance I don't think he did either, hope he got a good paycheck for it at least.

Molly Shannon plays the mother, at least on paper, there was nothing motherly about her character, and she wasn't funny either, just a very flat character.

I dunno what to say more about this movie, it fails at being funny and scary and it also fails at being good and it even fails at being completely terrible, it's just a big soup of mehhh.

In this zombie comedy, a young man's girlfriend comes back to life and while she at first seems normal, she degrades into a functional zombie.

[Amari-Sali · 6/10 · 3 August 2014]

I can't say exactly what is the appeal of Aubrey Plaza, and yet when I see her name attached to something it makes me want to see the movie. Though I have to admit, with the way she explained the film on The Daily Show, and the clip they showed with Dane DeHaan, Molly Shannon, and John C. Reilly, I was really tempted to just skip this movie. If just because, while DeHaan I think is a good actor, as well as Anna Kendrick and Cheryl Hines who are in the film, seeing Molly Shannon or John C. Reilly in a film is like seeing Eugene Levy or Denise Richards, it automatically creates a red flag. Now, to find out whether the red flag is deserved or not, read below.

Characters & Story

To clear her head, a young woman named Beth (Aubrey Plaza) decides to go on a hike by herself; which unfortunately leads to her dying from a snake bite. But after only being buried for a day or so, she returns much to the delight of her parents Maury (John C. Reilly) and Geenie (Molly Shannon). However, with her rising from the dead comes the fear of what people may assume if they found out. Especially Beth's boyfriend Zach (Dane DeHaan) who, after sharing their grief with him getting shut out, is acting like a fool because he thinks he saw Beth in their window. Leading to a story in which Maury is doing his best to keep his daughter alive, and hidden, after her resurrection, despite all signs pointing to her needing to be put back in the ground.

Praise

Though certainly not hilarious, the film does have its moments when it will make you chuckle. For it has very goofy moments, like watching Beth tumble down a hill with a stove on her back. But, outside of a few laughs and giggles here and there, I don't think there is much else to praise.

Criticism

If just because this film is not only bleh, but it lacks potential. For, as noted in my The To Do List review, Aubrey Plaza has no business being the star of a movie. A strong supporting character, like how Melissa McCarthy was in Bridesmaids, yes, but the star? Absolutely not because her off putting presence never rises above being like an intriguing gimmick. Something which seems destined to make her that one odd character which makes you go "What the hell?" whenever she appears and says something. For, as of this point in her career, that is what she is good at, and in the film she tries to be your everyday girlfriend and she seems to be forcing herself so hard to seem convincing as a regular old love interest, that it makes her off putting demeanor rise to dangerous levels.

Then, on top of that, you have a cast and story which tries to mix horror elements with odd comedic moments, which honestly rarely even works for veterans of the Horror/Comedy sub-genre like Child's Play and Nightmare on Elm Street when Robert Englund was Freddy. So imagine an actor like DeHaan, who seems more made for dramas than comedies, being mixed with comedians like Plaza, Shannon and Reilly who are the type of comedians who really seem like they should never be within the first 3-4 names listed on a film.

Overall: Skip It

The film isn't funny, it isn't scary, there is no thriller element, and the overall production seems like someone's capstone project for their Bachelor's in Film. Which is why I'm saying to skip this. For while, despite what I'm writing, it doesn't make me think less of Plaza or DeHaan for being involved, and how they performed, it just reinforces how some of the actors in this movie have no business being the stars of a movie. Maybe a TV show, but at this point in their careers they don't have what it takes to command your attention, get you to laugh, and send you home with a smile on your face.

A confused and unfunny zombie comedy

[eddie_baggins · 2/10 · 20 April 2015]

Life After Beth is a movie as confused as its main protagonist Zach Orfman, a movie that can't decide whether it's a laugh out loud comedy, a gross out dramedy or satirical runoff of the ever saturated zombie filled marketplace and as a result of its genre confusion, Life After Beth is a basket case of a film that at times becomes so bad you feel sorry for all the talented members of the cast who obviously saw some potential in this tale.

Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon and Anna Kendrick, it's a competent cast, Reilly alone is always a fine big screen presence and DeHaan has over a few short years shown himself to be one of the finest up and coming actors in the business, but no one here comes out on top. DeHaan is annoying as grieving boyfriend Zach, Reilly and Shannon get short changed with one note characters and the toughest gig of all in the form of Beth played by Plaza couldn't have been saved by any amount of great acting. Beth is such a strange and unfulfilling character you begin to pity Plaza's plight and it's safe to say she gives it her all in a committed performance that deserved a better movie.

A huge chunk of Life After Beth's failings can be attributed to director/writer Jeff Baena's failings to control the films tonal shifts. At any one moment we will be asked to feel sympathy for lost loves then the next moment something crazy will happen that either feels totally out of place or just downright lame. The script fails to zing, the pacing feels off and the overall product that has been placed into completion feels far too close to a student movie than one would care to see. It's a real shame that there are so many failings in this picture as you do get the feeling that there is a good film here, somewhere deep down amongst all the wannabe funnies or the romantic sentiments that don't resonate.

Life After Beth is a strange event, from the outset you get the feeling something just isn't right and as you get further and further into this murky love story your vision becomes clear that this is just a lost film that didn't have a solid enough identity to make it succeed. There are some fine actors in here but they're lost in a short running time that feels much longer than it is due to a lack of any sort of audience engagement. A real non-event, Life After Beth is an out and out misfire.

1 oven out of 5

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Bizarre but fun take on the genre

[willohmsford · 7/10 · 19 August 2018]

At first I thought this was interesting, then strange, then really funny, then finally heart warming.

was waiting for the funny stuff to happen

[gmkl · 3/10 · 15 October 2014]

this isn't one of the films id watch again,the film is about beth who dies in a accident ,shortly after she comes back to life,the shock of this happening has some funny moments with her boyfriend and parents of beth but then it slips into the film been just as dead as beth,the second half of the film seemed to get even more drab especially when more dead people come to life out of the cemetery,i gave this a three just for the first half of the film,,i was waiting for it to warm up but turned out to be as cold as death itself,this could have been a good film ,after seeing the trailer to this with a few crazy moments i believed this was going to be a funny crazy film,but i quickly realised that the few funny moments in the trailer were the few jokes i laughed at in the movie with not much more laughs,unless your a very serious fan of zombie/horror comedy i would give this a miss

Quirky, off beat and falling in between genres. Original fresh take on the zombie genre. BEST suited for those who usually never watch zombie movies.

[imseeg · 8/10 · 21 August 2019]

Beware: this movie is NOT suited for (die hard) zombie fans, although it is (wrongly) marketed as a zombie movie.The zombie fans didnt get what they expected and they started complaining about it on Imdb. But that doesnt make this movie a bad movie, not at all.

This movie is probably better suited for an arthouse audience who appreciates SERIOUS acting above gross action scenes. Life after Beth is basically a slowburning, quirky romantic comedy about Dane DeHaan, who is dating a girlfriend (Aubrey Plaza, those eyes! ) who has died, although she doesnt realize it yet. The many practical difficulties of dating a girlfriend, who has died and who immediately has come back to life, is what makes this movie quite witty and original.

It is not a full blown comedy though, because acting and story (up to a point) are mostly done seriously. But serious acting performances only enhance the comedy effect, in a tongue in cheek kinda way. Great supporting actor roles as well!

Any bad? The start of this story is great. But later on the movie is lacking a bit in suspense and drama, because it has become more of a predictable action / zombie story, although the dramatic end part of this movie is rather good again. 8 stars for originality of the story and 8 stars for the quirky kind of humour, which is quite delightful!

Beth dies, returns as a zombie - comedy ensues

[TheMarwood · 6/10 · 11 August 2014]

The exhausted zombie subgenre gets a much needed fresh take with this tiny budgeted horror comedy. A zombie epidemic is strictly background material and it begins with Zach played by Dane DeHaan, who does a good job here, grieving over the death of his girlfriend Beth. He bonds with her parents, played by John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon, who make the most of their underwritten parts. It's not before long that Beth returns and she and Zach continue their relationship - which is obviously headed for disaster. Aubrey Plaza does good work with her usual deadpan line readings and there's some hilarious scenes with her spastic rage and violence. Life After Beth is a small, lightweight film, the side characters can occasionally fall into sitcom-ish territory, but it does have some genuine big laughs.

A Different Zombie Film But Without Laughs or Scares

[Rama_Andor1416 · 2/10 · 5 August 2014]

First time director Jeff Baena has made a film so dull and unwatchable by the end of the movie where the usual end credit scene he can't even fill a whole 90 minute movie he has to put DVD commentary at the end. That is how you know how much he tried to drag a film to get a full 90 minute movie. Last years Warm Bodies was dull and uninteresting but this takes it to the dumpster. It is the most dreadful film to sit through I have seen this year. Boring unfunny and situations that are meant to be either funny or life threatening where director Edgar Wright did with something right like Shaun of the Dead and everything that film succeed in this fails on all levels. The first fifth-teen minutes of the film was OK but totally after that the film falls harder than the time John C. Reilly gets drunk in almost all his movies.

The real problem is having faith in Park & Recs big star Aubrey Plaza still can't find a vehicle to take her to big movie stardom. Unlike Chris Pratt you is Star-Lord. But never the less this is one film where the actual danger is less worrying than to excited about. And she does nothing for the screenplay to move along it is really as dead as the zombies. All the actors are really trying there best to stay awake and bring some joy charm anything to bring life in this awful film. Just a waste of good actors giving nothing else to do except give awful lines that don't mean anything to solve a story or provide any comical death or even the worst it is just a bore.

As for the zombie aspect is the worst because they like smooth Jazz and attics. It just doesn't work like Warm Bodies. Zombies are for no other reasons for them to eat people and for humans to kill them in horrific ways but you never get that in this film. To me good zombie movies are exactly that and this is one that does not provide anything useful or even funny new or what it is trying to accomplish a spark or romance between the two main characters and it is terrible.

I really wanted to like it but prepare yourself for one dull comedy, thrill less horror film, and worst and romcom that fails on all level. Also last the tone is all over the place there is supposed to be actual threat for these people going through the zombie apocalypse that is incredibly uninteresting.

Zombies eat guys! ;-)

[ArchonCinemaReviews · 6/10 · 6 October 2014]

Life After Beth is a kooky take on the beyond exhausted zombie movie.

Aubrey Plaza plays the Beth of Life After Beth – a recently deceased sorta ex- girlfriend of Zach, Dane DeHaan, who mysteriously rises from the grave. The longer cadaverous Beth walks amongst the living the more Zach realizes things are not quite right.

Plaza and DeHaan are nuanced in their performances. Plaza slowly transforms on par with her character Beth's physical transformation into putrid detritus. DeHaan contributes with concerned subtle glances and side-eyes that at any moment his ex-girlfriend hunger for brains will kick in.

Jeff Baena writes and directs this weird RomCom zombie movie. Life After Beth is the definition of quirky and unconventional. It is bizarre and aspects of it are well thought out. It somehow blurs the line between horror and romance – with the dialogue delightfully ambiguous enough to make audiences forget the subject matter:

Zach: You don't wanna eat me right now? Beth: Zach…Stop, my parents!

Baena's theme through out the film is that being a zombie does not change a person substantially. As the layers of flesh are biologically broken down, so do the humanity-driven walls we build up to reveal a rawer version of the person. (note: I realize this is way deeper than needs to be) In this case Beth becomes voraciously needy, emotionally turbulent and in desperate denial.

Life After Beth is smart and surprisingly novel movie interpretation given the influx supply in the zombie movie section of video rentals. But it is half realized and under-formed in the parallels and juxtaposition between being in denial about being undead and being in a relationship that is no longer thriving.

The concept of using zombie-dom as a mirror and metaphor to look into a romantic relationship is fascinating. It is not realized or explored to its full potential that should have been expanded upon.

Life After Beth reminds us that together forever is a really long commitment when half of the relationship is a zombie.

Read our reviews IN FULL at our website.

Back to normal is sometimes not good.

[Reno-Rangan · 6/10 · 14 March 2016]

The movie did not reach my expectation, but still I enjoyed watching it. A story like this I never thought would do fairly, a better movie from the average section. I think not without the Aubrey Plaza, she as a Beth was excellent. Not a career defining performance, but funny enough. The story looks only faintly different from other similar films, but a few good scenes saved it. If it had a couple more good jokes and maybe a twist, surely would have been done greatly at the box office.

There's no surprise material in it, I thinks that's negative about it. Easy to read the situation and predict the story within the first 15 minutes, but the second half was drastically changed its pace as well as the atmosphere in the story. If you've not seen many zombie films, especially comedy ones, then you may find it better than average.

Definitely a decent direction for a first timer, got a good support from the cast. For a small budget, this is a wonderful production quality. It surely upset you if you expect like 'Warm Bodies' or 'Shaun of the Dead', but if you know all about it before giving a try, the disappointment will be lessened and you may have a decent time pass with it.

6/10

Not funny or scary at all

[danielkirollos · 2/10 · 11 August 2014]

Just to save you the trouble, this movie is absolute garbage, not scary, not comedic, nothing, it's about a girl that comes back from the dead, and then she isn't the same girl, that's it, Basically, around the 60 minute mark, I was extremely bored, the only reason that I didn't go back home is because I was watching this with my family and it would have been inappropriate to leave them, I didn't give this is a 1 because I have seen much more boring and crappy movies, so a 2 is good enough, the acting was decent but not as great as my expectations were, If I were you, I would much rather buy some ice cream instead of the ticket price, this was less boring compared to a documentary about how snakes live, save yourself money and boredom and don't watch this.

I'm a zombie! Zombies eat guys!

[DogFilmCritic · 7/10 · 26 October 2016]

I liked it I really did ,it was not was I expected but I'm a fan of Audrey Plaza so if she is in it I'll watch it.

It's a refreshing look at the overdone zombie movies lately, as this movie merged comedy, romance, and horror and it was done right using a unique look to it as it knows what it is and it's not over the top or forcing jokes it tries to tell a story using different genres , it's a fun movie to watch and as I said Audrey Plaza steals the show and makes it way more enjoyable, one of those movies that can become a guilty pleasure.

Yes Shaun of the dead made it way better that I'll agree still I liked it and made me laugh and this was way better than the painful Warm Bodies. I recommend this one.

A lot of effort in the execution yet the base screenplay lacks so much

[Seraphion · 4/10 · 2 August 2014]

After his girlfriend Beth died, Zach keeps coming on her house and meeting her parents Maury and Geenie. One day they don't let Zach in. Curious, Zach goes around the house and sees Beth inside. After several attempts Zach gets past Maury into the house and meet Beth. But it seems like Beth recollects none of the things happened prior to that day, that she and Zach broke up and that she died. Also Beth more and more acts abnormally with sudden temper tantrums and having superhuman strength. Beth's parents forbid Zach from telling Beth that she died. Zach and Beth's parents are confused about Beth's reappearing, whether is it like Jesus, or just like a zombie.

As Beth's weirdness piles up, Zach then tells Beth that she died. At quite the same time more people start to come back to life, even those who died long ago. Soon there's panic like of a zombie apocalypse as the dead begin to develop zombie like nature of craving live flesh. Seeing that the dead still retain some memory of their former self, Zach then returns to see Beth, determined to make up for his mistakes while Beth was still alive. He takes hiking, something that Beth always asked him but he declined. At the hill top Zach finishes it all, and as he returns home, as like it was all depended on him, the whole zombie thing is over.

The story opens up so very flatly. It then develops very slowly for the next thirty minutes or so. Then it gets more interesting as the main conflict occurs. The story intensity rises up drastically about two thirds of the movie. But it ends absurdly with a poorly designed epilogue.

The comedy is quite enjoyable. Though the dialog jokes aren't very funny, the practical jokes within the temper tantrums are laughable easily, even though it seems that kind of aims to be a horror scene at the same time. On the other hand, the horror aspect exists very faintly in this movie, all swallowed up by the comedy emphasis. Having the movie feels so lonesome is the only thing that kept me anticipating for any real horror moment, which I was disappointed to find none.

The acting is not a good one. I'd say it's even below my expectations. Dane DeHaan really doesn't know how to work his facial expressions, yet I praise Aubrey Plaza's totality in doing her part. Having bigger names as John C. Riley and Anna Kendrick won't really help this movie much, I think.

My verdict for this movie is just a 4 out of 10 score. A recommendation is something you won't get from me for this one.

Woody Allen meets Zombies

[begob · 4/10 · 15 August 2014]

A Jewish comedy - name actors from the Larry David show, over-protective parents, self-conscious chatter, and a Nazi interlude with charred bodies and an Eagle's Nest reference.

This is OK. It starts out low budget with no sense of purpose - a student production about anguished lovers, with an ironic suburban tone. The comedy is supposed to come from family relations, and I did smile when the elderly zombies turned up at the parents' home. Apart from that, the only amusement was the absurd sight of a zombie tumbling down a hill with a kitchen oven strapped to her back. There is the touching notion of the parents' devotion to their dead daughter, but it doesn't really click.

It gets better as it goes on, but comedy horror is a tough sell. Zombie stories need the suspense of survival, using tried and trusted tricks. This one out-clevers itself by leaving the tricks too late.

The lead actress is beautiful, the male lead is a bit Adam's apple. There is no score, but some of the music is interesting.

Unique zombie movie.

[Nikker1985 · 9/10 · 8 April 2015]

In my opinion Dane DeHaan is an amazing actor. Even though I have vowed to never see a found footage movie again, I did struggle through the entirety of Chronicle which was to no one's surprise...a found footage quality movie.

But then I saw DeHaan in Amazing Spiderman 2 where he successfully helped the audience understand why he is so angry and why he has reason to be a villain. So similarly, in this movie he conveys realism under surealistic situations.

If zombies were real... this is how it would go down. I am trying to understand why I loved this movie but it all comes down to one fact. Real characters.

I keep mentioning again and again how some movies kill off characters and sad music is playing and you are supposed to feel sad yet...you feel nothing at all. And all the Hans Zimmer in the world wont make you cry.

But then, there are movies whose plot revolves around a robot with scissors for hands, or a kid that grows up after a wish, or a dude who lost his volleyball in the ocean.

And this is a movie with real characters for whom you care. Realistic dialogue, awesome situations. Truly a one of a kind movie. Neither a horror nor a comedy flick...not even a romantic one.

Just a story of how it would go down with a little bit of silliness in it.

Beth's parents are in denial about their daughter which is only natural. Dehaan's reaction after finding out Beth is still alive and how he goes temporarily insane and re falls in love with her. How Beth loses touch with her humanity gradually and how a zombie uprising is about to occur are all awesome elements.

I loved watching this movie. The cast is wonderful and Audrey Plaza earns my respect as someone who is not afraid of destroying her image.

I have reached a point in my life where I am bored as hell of watching clichés and formulas. Every alien movie needs a "bomb" the mothership ending. Every possession movie needs a girl acting silly and talking in voices. Every zombie movie needs people barricading themselves in malls. Every disaster movie needs explosions and footage of the Aiffel tower and the Acropolis getting destroyed.

Not Von Trier's Melancholia that had a different approach to destruction movies.

Nor Jeff Baena's Life After Beth that had a different approach to zombie movies.

If you want the same old sith,a typical zombie movie ...go for Land of the Dead [2005]. If you want a different approach...Life After Beth is excellent.

I wish the audience was a little bit more supportive to movies like this.

I know that a 9 score is reserved for super awesome movies that are classics and that will stand the test of time, with awesome acting, photography, story telling techniques, music and the whole package.

Regardless, I am going to give this movie a 9 because I loved watching it and given the ridiculous material they had to work with (a dude in love with a zombie) they did an excellent job.

Spot on

[shadowbender626 · 31 August 2020]

Aubrey Plaza just nailed the role. Never realized she is so tallented

Funny, fresh and a cult to be.

[CharlieGreenCG · 7/10 · 28 September 2014]

There have not been many overly-decent zombie films lately. One that always pops up in conversation is Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead, which entertainingly redefined previous conventions and created the superfluous rom-zom-com. Shortly after came Zombieland, now this – Life After Beth, a similarly toned comedy. But how does it compare?

Life After Beth begins with Dane Dehaan's character, Zack mourning over the recent loss of his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza). Bitten by a snake whilst hiking, she has a funeral ceremony and is buried. Spending time with Beth's parents, Zack attempts to move on. But the parents, as played by John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon, however start behaving weird and secluded. Stalking around the house to find out why he thinks that he spots Beth inside – which makes him think that either the whole thing is a hoax, or that she is now a z-word.

Beth, unaware that anything is different, and not being told by her parents or Zack that she is actually dead, decide to keep her a secret and hid her inside from anyone knowing Still in love and unable to tell or explain how she is here, Zack continues their relationship, but notices that she is extra-clingy and weirder that before (and also dead) - It is an interesting concept to say the least.

Taking 'the loving parents' position, Beth's refuse to accept that she is a zombie, but rather that she has been resurrected. What follows in Dehaan's first-ever comedy is quirky humour, apocalyptic freaking out, many WTF moments, plus Anna Kendrick co-starring and redefining the term awkward.

Although Life After Beth causes frequent smirks, there are not any LOL-moments until the ending, where 'the world goes crazy' – and we see quite possibly the best zombie kill of the week. Writer / director Jeff Baena's take on zombies is funny, fresh and a cult to be.

Lifeless After Beth

[MattBirk · 3/10 · 7 December 2014]

Life After Beth is a completely failed attempt at a new, growing subgenre in the zombie world. I didn't think Warm Bodies was all that great, but this makes that look like the best movie of the year! It seems like the writers had a decent idea about having a kid's girlfriend killed and brought back to life as a zombie, but that's as far as they got and didn't know how to fill the scenes. The relationship is the focal point of the movie but there's no depth there to be found, as I said above, it feels thin. Life After Beth is also billed as a comedy, but there certainly not enough humor in the movie to call it that, this is more of a slow, drama with no substance. The whole time watching the movie, I felt there was something missing, some type of surprise or something to would put the movie in a higher gear, but that never happened. Beth stays in neutral and the characters (who are just as bland as the storytelling) just go from scene to scene offering nothing exciting for us to bite into. There are no high points in the movie, everything just rings average at best and as a whole the movie is completely forgettable. As I said above, if you are interested in a 'zom-rom-com', check out Warm Bodies over this.

Full review at simplefilmreviews.com!

Poorly written, disappointing.

[neil-476 · 6/10 · 3 October 2014]

When his girlfriend Beth is killed by a snakebite while hiking, Zach is distraught and seeks to deal with his grief by forging closer ties with Beth's parents. They start avoiding him and Zach discovers that it is because Beth has returned, seemingly normal apart from some memory loss. However, as time goes on, Beth begins to deteriorate in more ways than one...

This zomromcom boasts a great idea and a terrific cast, and is the sort of film I should have loved. So why am I lukewarm about it? Because it simply isn't very well done, and the fault lies in the writing. It has an air about it of being improvised by actors who are terrific at acting but not very good at improvising. If it was substantially improvised, then that was an error of judgement on the part of the director – Jeff Baena. On the other hand, if the film is played as scripted, then the fault lies with the scriptwriter – Jeff Baena. The film is slow to get started, it is not especially horrifying, it is not particularly funny, and it certainly isn't very romantic. Sadly, it is a squandering of excellent resources on a lot of wasted potential.

Despite the odd chuckle and the presence of Aubrey Plaza, this was a major disappointment.

almost

[cherold · 6/10 · 8 September 2019]

Recently I wondered, what else did that guy who wrote I Heart Huckabees do? Turns out a decade later he started writing and directing movies. They all had middling IMDB ratings, but one had an interesting premise and starred the always-entertaining Aubrey Plaza, so I watched that one.

The story begins with the death of Beth;. Most of the first half hour is a melancholy slog through boyfriend Zach's mourning process, which involves sitting around or hanging out with her parents. Then her parents stop talking to him and he peeks through their window and sees ... Beth!

Plaza plays Beth, and she fully commits to a portrayal that gets stranger and stranger. She's quite good, but this is more Beth's movie than Zach's. Dane DeHaan plays Zach as a bland everyman, and the things you want from a lead, like personality or personal growth, are sadly missing.

Still, the story is generally interesting as events ramp up, and there are good moments. If you push through the tedious beginning, it's a reasonably entertaining movie that suffers from poor pacing and a weak lead.

The last half hour is the craziest part, but by the end it feels like not enough has happened to justify a movie. The movie would have worked better if Zach had learned something from it all. Alternately, the movie would have worked better if the script were the first half of something that got really, really crazy by the end. Instead, it's all rather underwhelming.

The movie makes one wonder if writer-director Baen could have pulled off I Heart Huckabees. As a director he's workmanlike, and based on Life After Beth I wonder if perhaps those who worked on the film with him helped make a better movie than existed on paper. Because Life After Beth seems like a rather lazy movie.

I don't really have a recommendation on this one. It's entertaining more often than not, and sometimes quite funny. Plaza is quite good, as is Matthew Gray Gubler as Zach's hyped-up brother. Yet at the end it feels like a ramble to nowhere.