Darby Harper Wants You to Know

This film certainly doesn't deserve this low rating. So, the lead is enigmatic to say the least. Great actress. So, it's like a teen film about girl that helps dead people oass over to the afterlife, although really focus is actually on her school life and how she come out of her shell. The story isn't amazing, but it runs along nicely. However, the dialogue is top notch.. I laughed out loud several times (I'm a 51 yr old guy) and the delivery of the plot, the filming, the pacing, was all excellent. I was actually very tired watching this but forced my eyes open because it was so engaging.

Now, don't believe it's masterpiece or a ground breaking piece of work, but I came here to review it because it is one of the best films of its type (teen drama/comedy). My guess is that any girl between ages of 14 to 22 will adore this film. Most other people should like it to if you want a fun film, humour and a sweet story. I enjoyed every second of this film. PS. It's not a horror, not scary at all, and the ghost aspect is not really the pont or focus (and anyway, the ghosts aren't scary type, just like pleasant people who haven't passed over to the afterlife). I recommend it if you're looking for an engaging film you don't have to reflect on or think about too much, with some moderate humour.

Fun movie with a few flaws but they do not detract too much from the overall "goodness" of it.

For instance Capri once dead basically learn the "Swayze" in a day... You would think that in the movie's world there would be some form of Ghostbusters or something as the dead can interact pretty easily and fast with the living but no... Nobody really believe in ghost so you kinda get the feeling Capri is the only one really using her "powers". Wasted opportunity there.

The other thing is the other main character, Darby, is basically just as hot before her relooking. Its even worst than "She's all that" trope of remove the ponytail and glasses and you jump from an awkward nerd to a hot babe. And yes i permit myself to say "hot babe" as both main actresses (and supporting cast) are in their 20s even tough they portray teenagers suposed to be what... 15? Another trope you often see in movies of this style.

But like i said, these few "flaws" didn't detract me too much from enjoying what is overall a nice movie. Its a bit similar to Afterlife of the Party wich came in 2021 with Victoria Justice mixed with Ghost Whisperer but different enough to be its own thing.

Normally i am the first to say those "mini-shows" of 8-10 episodes are getting annoying (i miss the 22 episodes formula) and i would rather take a movie if its just one big arc but in the case of this movie i have a feeling it would had really benefited from being a show. Fleshing out more of the characters, extending the main idea and having maybe a few subplots for side characters. I just felt things moved a bit too fast. But maybe i am just over analyzing what is simply supose to be a teen comedy without any pretention.

Initially when I sat down to watch the 2022 movie "Darby and the Dead", then I didn't know what I was in for here, aside from it being a fantasy comedy of sorts that involved someone being able to see and talk to the dead. And yeah, that sounded interesting enough.

However, writer Becca Greene churned out a script and a storyline that fell short of entertaining me. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not sayin that "Darby and the Dead" was a bad or boring movie, it was definitely alright, but it just didn't appeal to me. It felt like the movie was aiming at a younger audience and a female audience, so I fell short on both accounts there. So there wasn't much enjoyment in the storyline for me.

The acting performances in "Darby and the Dead" was good. I was for the most parts unfamiliar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from actors Wayne Knight and Tony Danza. Leading actress Riele Downs definitely put on a good performance to carry the movie.

I am sure that there is a big audience out there for a movie such as "Darby and the Dead", I just wasn't a part of that target audience.

My rating of director Silas Howard's 2022 movie "Darby and the Dead" lands on a four out of ten stars.

1 out of 5 stars.

Darby and the Dead is a horrible supernatural teen comedy film that has a dumb plot. Boring and cheesy humor. And the film fails to even entertain.

Boring plot about a teen seeing ghost who have unsolved conflict. And becomes friends with another narcissistic teen who died in front of her. And wants to turn the teen around from being odd to popular.

The humor is cheesy and unfunny. The direction breaks the fourth wall with the main character giving her input about todays society with teens. The acting is tedious with a boring cast. The film lacks the fun and entertainment to make this a pass.

First of all, when I first watched the official trailer of the movie I kinda liked it, even though I didn't had high expectations about it. Eventually, it was better than I had imagined and I enjoyed it. The plot of the movie was kinda interesting, but not innovative because there are many movies similar to this one (for example, "The Sixth Sense"). The storyline was well-written and well-explained, but it was simple and easy to understand. The filming location of the movie (Cape Town, South Africa) was magical and I really liked it. Also, the casting of the movie was nice and their performances were descent. It wasn't a scary movie, of course and it wasn't intense, either. However, it was kinda funny and there were some satirical jokes during the movie. The opening scene was promising and enjoyable. The ending scene was definitely predictable, however I still liked it. Moreover, the cinematography and the score of the movie were both very well done and I really liked the movie's aesthetic. Overall, "Darby and the Dead" was an enjoyable teen film, funny and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.