Darby and the Dead is a supernatural comedy film that revolves around a teenager Darby (played by Riele Downs) with a special ability to interact with dead individuals. The light spirit movie is directed by Silas Howard and written by Wenonah Wilms and Becca Greene. Moreover, the total runtime of the flick is one hour and forty minutes.
The complete cast of the film includes Auliʻi Cravalho as Capri Donahue, Chosen Jacobs as Alex, Asher Angel as James, Wayne Knight as Mel, Derek Luke, Tony Danza, Genneya Walton, and Nicole Maines. Furthermore, Ante Cheng serves as the cinematographer while Kate Hickey heads the editing department.
-Darby and the Dead Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The movie starts with the self-introduction of Darby Harper, who breaks the fourth wall to provide some context about her unique story. When Darby was a young and enthusiastic child, her mother drowned and died in a sea wave incident, which Darby herself survived miraculously. Right after the disastrous tragedy, she received the gift (almost a curse) of communicating with the deados (Her given nickname for the deceased).
Instead of becoming another self-righteous film about dead people receiving salvation (The Sixth Sense), the flick turns into a teenage comedy with a crispy twist. This time around, it is more about the alive Darby Harper, than the dead.
The list of Darby’s dead clients increases when the popular high school cheerleader Capri (Auliʻi Cravalho) dies in a rather weird fashion and clings to the teenage ghost whisperer for fulfilling her sweet seventeen party wish. What happens next, is an utterly unconvincing series of events, with less comedy and more drain.
The supernatural comedy is itself lifeless and monotonous with very few moments of intrigue. For instance, the part where dead Capri teaches Darby to upgrade her Instagram presence is something we all can take notes from. Moreover, it was the only moment where I was actually impressed by the humor.
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Furthermore, the rest of the screenplay becomes so dull and predictable that it makes the only humor-filled moment like a fluke. Something, which has become a growing pattern of concern in teen comedy films.
On the acting front, there isn’t much to hold when the entire story is hell-bent on weakening itself. However, the pair of Riele Downs and Auliʻi Cravalho try their best to generate a decent level of interest (even if it’s for a relatively short period of time).
Darby and the Dead Final Thoughts
I know there is a separate section of the audience that prefer watching supernatural films more than anything else, but I really doubt if even they would binge on this effortless lackluster.
You can stream the film on Hulu. Tell us your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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