OVER YOUR DEAD BODY Review

Married couple Dan (Jason Segel) and Lisa (Samara Weaving) go on a vacation with their own secret plans to kill each other. Shortly after finding out the other person's plan, those plans are interrupted when they find out two criminals and a police officer are hiding out in their cabin as well.

Over Your Dead Body is written by comedy duo BriTANicK (Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher), who also wrote Pizza Movie, which came out on Hulu earlier this year. After watching both of these films, one thing is for certain: their comedy style is definitely for me.

The characters bickering, no matter which set of characters we're talking about, had me consistently laughing. The quips were funny and the situations the characters got themselves into were just as funny. Much like Pizza Movie, not every single laugh landed. One scene in particular has a central joke that not only do I not find particularly funny to joke about, but the scene and joke itself lasted way too long. When you're throwing everything at the wall the way BriTANicK do in their writing, however, a 100% hit rate isn't even necessary to say it succeeded.

The same can be said about the action. The third act in particular was non-stop entertainment with some unique kills, and director Jorma Taccone captured all of it quite well. There were multiple moments that truly had me on the edge of my seat. Much like the comedy, there's so much thrown out there in the action sequences that a couple moments stretch suspension of disbelief a little too thin. Also similar to the comedy, however, a flawless hit rate isn't needed to be satisfied when the moments that do hit, hit hard.

For a movie so strong in the comedy and action departments, it also can't be understated how great the performances are as well. Jason Segel shines in everything he's in, and that's no different here. He's very hesitant in his plan to kill his wife, and you can feel that hesitancy through his body language. Samara Weaving is a proven action and horror star, but it's really her comedy chops that get the chance to stand out here in a way that only grew my appreciation of her range. Juliette Lewis is also a true scene stealer, something that should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with her work.

No matter what you're looking for in a movie like this, it's hard to imagine it not delivering. This was a great time in the theater, and the type of movie I'd love to get more of.

🍿 SCORE = 84 / 100