Granted, there can be plenty of violence in R-rated movies, too, but sexuality and strong language appear to trigger an R rating more quickly. For many – probably most – PG-13 movies these days, the first listed reason for the rating is ‘intense violence’ or a similar attribute. That’s a year after the PG-13 rating was introduced. According to a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Ohio State University, gun violence in the most popular PG-13 movies has tripled in frequency since 1985. Violence that would have earned an R-rating for previous generations of moviegoers now is common in movies with the PG-13 label. But if it’s an especially slow weekend and there’s absolutely nothing else to watch, then Life After Beth might fit the bill.Would you give your 12- or 13-year-old a front-row seat to a live battle or a bloody shootout? Parents do it all the time, allowing their children to see PG-13 rated movies. And Plaza’s performance really is something special to behold, but does that make it worth watching? Personally, I don’t think I’m ever going to see it again, despite its fine lead performance so I can’t recommend it to anyone. Still, Life After Beth does have a moment or two where it shines and I chuckled for a second. And it all ends pretty much the way you think it will, and that’s a shame considering the potential here. Maybe this was Baena’s idea, to save the best for last – but it doesn’t really do too much to liven up the proceedings all too much. And while we hear a lot of that mayhem going on in the background of these final scenes, we don’t actually see too much of it.
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And since the movie only runs about 87 minutes or so, that leaves only about 27 minutes of actual zombie mayhem. The movie doesn’t really kick into high gear until an hour has gone by, and by then a lot of you will either be bored to death or asleep. There are a few funny cameos here as well, with Anna Kendrick, Jim O’Heir & especially Garry Marshall making the most of their scant time on screen.īut it’s much ado about nothing much I’m afraid. Still, he does have a few funny moments, especially with his older brother, Kyle ( Matthew Gray Gubler). It’s almost as if he’s holding himself slightly above the material and is slumming here. He seems to be a bit stilted at the outset of the film, and while he gets better as he trudges forward, he never really seems to be comfortable in the role. I’m not too sure that Dane DeHaan is particularly cut out to do comedic roles though. She also has a way of stealing scenes as she goes through some horrific permutations in the background of a few key scenes. She’s also a very talented physical actress and she displays quite a bit of dexterity as Beth slowly becomes the zombie that Zach thinks she already is. She’s attractive and knows her way around a script well enough. But only a few.Īubrey Plaza really steals the show here as Beth, and she nearly saves the entire movie while she’s at it. That being said, all of them make the most of a mediocre script and have a few moments to shine. He doesn’t give enough screen time to Zach’s parents (Played by Paul Reiser & Cheryl Hines) and while Reilly & Shannon get a bit more to chew on, it still isn’t enough to warrant comedic actors of their stature. There are glimmers of a far more involving story to be found here but Baena’s script seems quite content rehashing ideas that have been done to death already. Written & directed by Jeff Baena, Life After Beth wants to be a horror comedy with a bit of heart, but it’s a mostly plodding affair. At first, her parents won’t let her out of the house (except at night), but eventually Zach convinces them to allow her to go out during the day. Reilly & Molly Shannon), but eventually he gains their confidence and they allow him to visit Beth (Who has no idea that she died). At first, Zach is kept out of the house by Beth’s parents, Maury & Geenie ( John C. Her boyfriend, Zach ( Dane DeHaan) is suitably crushed and depressed over the news, until he finds out that Beth seems to be alive & well – and hidden away by her parents at home. In the tradition of movies like My Boyfriend’s Back, Shaun Of The Dead & Warm Bodies comes Life After Beth, a Zomromcom if you will that asks the question: What would you do if your recently deceased girlfriend comes back from the dead? With a burgeoning hunger for flesh? And a sudden love for smooth jazz?Īubrey Plaza plays Beth Slocum, who (while clearing her head during a hike in the woods) gets bitten by a snake and dies. A young man’s recently deceased girlfriend mysteriously returns from the dead, but he slowly realizes she is not the way he remembered her.