Over Your Dead Body review: This blackest of black comedies never stops surprising you

by

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

This darkly comedic film starts with a seemingly simple premise: a man plans to kill his wife during their weekend getaway. However, things quickly spiral out of control in unexpected ways. It’s a wild ride that shifts from a story about a troubled marriage to an over-the-top, violent spectacle reminiscent of Sam Raimi’s work – and it consistently keeps you guessing.

Okay, so talking about the plot is tricky – I really don’t want to give anything away! The surprises start almost immediately and just keep building from there. Honestly, a huge part of the enjoyment comes from trying to figure out what twist is coming next. It keeps you guessing, and that’s where the movie really shines.

Dan (played by Jason Segel) used to be a filmmaker, but now he directs silly commercials. He’s married to Lisa (Samara Weaving), an actress who isn’t finding much success, and their marriage is falling apart – they mostly just trade insults. Dan decides to try and get away with murder for the insurance money while they’re at a secluded cabin; his plan is to make it seem like Lisa disappeared during a hike.

However, Dan’s sick father (a former soldier), his unreliable best friend, and three fugitives have their own agenda, creating chaos that leads to a messy situation in the cabin. The movie also cleverly uses flashbacks to keep you guessing what will happen next.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies and similar technologies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

If you’ve already seen the 2021 Norwegian film The Trip, you won’t be surprised by anything in Over Your Dead Body, as this film is based on it. Originally, Tommy Wirkola, the director of Dead Snow, was going to direct the American version, but he was later replaced by Jorma Taccone, a writer from Saturday Night Live.

This American version isn’t really a remake; it’s more like a very close copy of the original, with huge portions of the dialogue directly translated. It often feels like they simply used the subtitles from the original film instead of writing a new script.

Although the two versions share many similarities, they differ noticeably in how they feel. The American adaptation presents Dan and Lisa as a bit more gentle, but gives the villains much bigger parts. Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis are fantastic as two of these criminals, completely stealing every scene they’re in, and André Eriksen – a Norwegian rapper who also appeared in ‘The Trip’ – plays the third.

The American version of the movie has trouble finding a consistent feel. Although the story is silly and the characters are over-the-top, the film embraces its wildness and excessive violence. However, this energetic style doesn’t always blend well with the quieter, more heartfelt scenes between the main characters.

It’s strange, but trying to make the characters more likeable actually makes them seem less believable, and even a bit foolish. While Segel is usually a good comedic actor, he feels like an unusual fit for the role of Dan – his shy personality doesn’t quite match the idea of a man capable of murder. On the other hand, Weaving is chillingly effective as the cruel and cold villain.

The movie is strongest when it embraces dark, over-the-top humor and extreme gore, and it delivers plenty of that. However, the shocking impact of the violence lessens as the film goes on. By the final, bloody showdown, it starts to rely on predictable horror clichés instead of truly frightening or original moments.

Honestly, the movie wraps up with a fantastic sequence, even though I figured out the big twist pretty early on. But you know what? I didn’t even care! It’s exactly the ending the film needed, and it’s wonderfully goofy. It just works.

Authors

Dave Golder

Read More

2026-06-17 12:35