Film Review: ‘Over Your Dead Body’ is a Funny and Surprisingly Gory Black Comedy

I’m often fond of black comedies, especially when they walk up to the line of cruelty, yet never cross over it. Things can get nasty, sure, but the film can’t lose sight of the comedy. Over Your Dead Body is a movie that initially looks like it’s going to go too far, though it always knows when to pull back. The humor here mixes with action and thriller beats to turn into something far different than what it initially appears to be. Early on, things are bit of a mixed bag, but once the flick settles in, there’s some pitch black fun to be had.

Over Your Dead Body has some big laughs as well as a real shock or two, which goes a long way with a black comedy of this ilk. The violence is gorier than you might expect, while the laughs come from some offbeat places. It helps take a premise that could end up being off-putting and makes it consistently interesting/laugh inducing.

For married couple Dan (Jason Segel) and Lisa (Samara Weaving), they’re in desperate need of a romantic reset. The former is an indie director reduced to doing commercials, while the latter is a struggling actress. They once were in love, though now are miserable, to the point that their trip to a remote cabin has an ulterior motive…both have plans to killer the other one. Dan has a whole elaborate setup, while Lisa has a simpler idea, but both run into a hiccup when they figure out what the other is up to. Then, things unravel even more when it turns out they won’t be alone at this cabin.

Just as they’re figuring out who will be doing the killing, they’re joined by a pair of escaped inmates in Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith Jardine), as well as the prison guard Arabella (Juliette Lewis) that Pete is in a relationship with. She’s helped spring them, and while they need a place to lay low, they also have designs on murder. So, Dan and Lisa end up having to work together in order to survive, developing a new affection for each other in the process. If they can live through the ordeal, maybe, just maybe, they’ll have a second chance at a happy ending.

Jason Segel and Samara Weaving get to play a bit against type here, with enjoyable results. Segel isn’t usually this dark, while Weaving tends to be more of an ass-kicker, so there’s fun to be had with this casting. Their bickering chemistry is believable, while they both manage to hit the action beats with aplomb, while still making you laugh. Timothy Olyphant is having fun, especially during a perilous sequence where he discovers that he’s a huge fan of Dan’s first film. Keith Jardine and Juliette Lewis have their moments as well, but Segel and Weaving are best in show, by far. Supporting players include Jake Curran, Robert Goodman, Paul Guilfoyle, Nikolai Kinski, Kayla Radomski, Danusia Samal, and more.

Director Jorma Taccone is well known for comedy, though he’s mixed action into the fray before, so he’s a good fit for this material. Taking the screenplay by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney (adapting the Norwegian film I Onde Dager), Taccone favors the element of surprise for his most successful beats here. The flashback to introduce us to what a new character has previously been up to or to fill in some blanks is utilized liberally, with consistently amusing results. The shock violence that pops up also lingers in your mind more than you might expect, lending a bit of weight to a very silly endeavor. Running 105 minutes, things are a bit slack, pacing wise, but that just keeps this from being as kinetic as it could have been.

Over Your Dead Body is a dark bit of fun, provided you have the stomach for a pitch black comedy. There’s some real gore, more violence than you’ve seen Segel endure, and laughs from some uncomfortable places. It’s enjoyable stuff, as long as you’re a bit on the weird side. I sure am, so this ended up really working for me.

SCORE: ★★★