Darby and the Dead

I was delighted with this movie. Whereas it could have been silly and trite, it came across with believable insight and heart. Riele Downs did a terrific job acting the lead female role. She is lovely and pulled off this "Ghost Whisperer" like character with ease. One could ask what the target audience for "Darby and the Dead" would be. Well, I am in my seventies and found this movie interesting, charming, comedic and with a touch of romance. How is it possible for a Daniel Craig, Liam Neeson, Jason Statham fan to enjoy a light teen movie? No one is shot. No car chases. No sex. Well, it is well written deadly insightful fun!

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.

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.

There are so many shows/movies/themes overlapping here that you'll be able to figure out exactly what's going to happen next. Protagonist, Darby, is likeable but flawed. Antagonist, Capri (Capricorn), is insecure & vapid.

Outcast vs. Popular, Mean Girls style. Complete with their own version of Aaron Samuels. There are also themes from Heathers (OG, I've never seen the new one), Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That...Just about any other early 2000's movie you can think of including the TV show Ghost Whisperer.

But here's why I gave it an 8: it's supposed to be all of those movies. All of the clichés are obviously intentional, and the acting really isn't that bad. I even teared-up at one point, just a sweet moment between two characters that was unexpected.

Final advice: watch it with your teens if they're allowed to hear some swear words or watch it when you're laid up on the couch with a cold (like I am). It wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours.

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.