Burying the Ex

A guy (Anton Yelchin)'s regrets over moving in with his girlfriend (Ashley Greene) are compounded when she dies and comes back as a zombie.

Apparently this film has largely negative reviews. That surprises me. I can understand mixed reviews, because this is definitely not Joe Dante's finest film. But where are the horror fans who appreciate all the great references? This is definitely a love letter to horror fans, the ones who are gore to the core.

Maybe the humor was a little off. I thought the sex factor was played up a bit more than it ought to have been (but I am also very prudish). And Ashley Greene was somewhat annoying (though this was how her character was scripted, so that should be a compliment). Overall, this was enjoyable and light. I can see it getting improved reviews as time goes on.

Embracing the corny B-movie allure, Burying the Ex takes advantage of its modest yet mildly fun concept. It produces decent comedy with pop reference, fitting acting and smart script. The movie is still stuttering with odd plot development, but all things considered it's a fun popcorn flick worthy of a few giggles.

Max (Anton Yelchin) has been bothered by his shifty relationship with Evelyn (Ashley Greene). Theire personalities almost always clash, not to mention Evelyn can be incredibly volatile. Things get worse as a shady curse of some sort bind them both forever, this includes afterlife. After a tragic accident Evelyn rises from the death to fulfill her eternal love. The premise is by all means average romcom, but it is delivered with adequate conviction and wit.

Ashley Greene fully welcomes the quirky role. She's equally obnoxious as living eco-obsessed girlfriend and a creepy zombie lady. The change of tone and behavior is done realistic enough, despite the exaggerated set-up, to ensure their situation is oddly identifiable. The cast isn't large, only four main characters, and it keeps the pacing moving relatively well.

The script is done with tongue-in-cheek approach. Dialogues are occasionally cringeworthy, though most of the times they contain enough modern pop references or silly puns, audience can't help but laughing at them. Plot can be shady and a bit forced, but if audience can overlook some of these obscurities, there's mild fun to be had here.

Burying the Ex is a simple B-movie, yet it is presentably humorous in the scale it plays on.

Not exactly of course, although this does feel like its aimed at a specific audience. Some might feel it's a bit too soft for them and that it feeds too many clichés throughout, but that would take all the fun out of it, if you'd reduce it to that. I understand that that's how some will feel (or felt) after watching this.

You missed out on a fun ride though. Yes you know where this is going, from start to finish, but it's fun to watch. Anton Yelcin seems to have a soft spot for the fantastic/light horror entertainment, which is a nice thing. Dante is an experienced director to say the least and he knows how to mix humor with some violence. It might not always work, but when it does (combined with the acting) it's funny

Cute movie. I don't know why it has such a low rating.

This is not your typical zombie-type movie. It's more of a zomedy (zombie comedy :p) So, don't watch this expecting something like The Walking Dead.

The acting was good, and the writing clever. The zombie makeup was interesting. The flies flying around Greene was funny, and it was one of the things The Walking Dead never implements, but you have to figure that zombies would have a lotta flies buzzing around them.

Anton Yelchin did a good job in the lead, and Ashley Greene was the sexiest zombie you'll ever see.

In thought this would be awful, but I was very entertained. I recommend this.

Some will not like this, because they don't like zomedies, but it will be their loss.

I gave this a 6-star rating.

Burying the Ex (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining mix of horror, romance and comedy as horror fan Max (Anton Yelchin) wants to get rid of his girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene) but minutes before he can do so she's killed in a tragic accident. However, due to a previous accidental wish, she ends up coming back from the dead to rekindle their love, which doesn't sit well with Max since he's moved onto Olivia (Alexandra Daddario) who shares his love of horror.

If you're a fan of director Joe Dante's work then you're really going to love this film, which is certainly a throwback to his earlier films like THE HOWLING in regards to how many winks there are to other horror movies. This film pretty much works on every level because it's funny. It's got some nice gory moments for horror fans. Even the love triangle works extremely well thanks in large part to the direction and the cast members being so great. Not to mention if you're a horror fan then you're going to get to have all sorts of cool treats including discussions about Bela Lugosi, the Halloween monster cereal and we even get clips from films like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE WIZARD OF GORE.

BURYING THE EX is a movie that will appeal to many but I think horror fans are going to get the biggest kick out of it. I'm sure a lot of people will look at the Max character and be able to relate to his love of movies, being stuck in a lifeless job and then there's the problem with the girlfriend who doesn't get him. All of this is brought to more life when he does get the girl who digs the stuff that he likes but that's when the zombie shows up to mess everything up. This is really a charming little date movie that manages to appeal to horror fans willing to add a little romance and comedy into their diet. This movie really is something truly funny and there's no question that Dante is able to mix all of these elements together into something really special.

There's no doubt that one of the biggest benefits is that the cast is so great. Yelchin has this laid back, dry approach that is just downright hilarious at times and especially during the scenes where he can grow a pair enough to tell the girl that he is done. Greene is simply divine in her performance because she's perfect at playing the annoying part but she also manages to make you feel bad for her because all she's really trying to do is keep the "romance" alive. She really makes for a memorable character. Even Daddario is excellent in her supporting role as is Oliver Cooper who plays the half brother who likes sex. Then there's the cameo by Dick Miller, which is just terrific.

BURYING THE EX works on many levels but I think its best aspect is simply its charm. All of the elements of the story work extremely well and if you're a horror fan you're going to get a kick out of them as well as the rest of the monster stuff that shows up.