Every few years, a movie redefines a genre – let’s be clear, The Dead Don’t Die does not, nor will ever, do that for the “zom com” (better known as zombie comedy, aka the rom com’s twisted cousin). Despite boasting what may be the best cast ever assembled for an indie film, writer/director Jim Jarmusch squanders any such opportunity and delivers a film more than deserving of a Razzie than anything else.
Set in Centerville, a town of 738, Jarmusch seems hell bent on introducing as many characters as possible in the film’s sparse 105 minutes. The result? Paper-thin characters that do little to advance or make sense of the plot – Zelda (Tilda Swinton), the strange new samurai-wielding undertaker, Zoe (Selena Gomez) and her “hipster” friends, and three children locked up in the local juvenile detention are just a few examples. Hermit Bob (Tom Waits), a townie who lives in the woods, serves as a pseudo-narrator for reasons still unknown.
Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) patrol the small town and start to notice strange occurrences including longer daylight, animals running away, and electronic devices not working properly. News reports blame the anomalies on polar fracking, Peterson however is certain it’s a zombie apocalypse, especially after a vicious attack at the local diner. What follows is an uneven film that haphazardly introduces political commentary around consumerism and climate change into an already weak script.
Adam Driver in “The Dead Don’t Die.”
All is not lost –Driver nails nearly every line he’s given, including his repeating that it’s “all going to end badly.” Steve Buscemi walks away unscathed as Racist Farmer Frank because, well, he’s Steve Buscemi and he brings life to nearly every role he plays. And a running joke about Sturgill Simpson’s theme song lands most of the time. Dumb? Yes, but when a movie is billed as a comedy odds are that it will deliver at least a few laughs.
Saying that this movie is lifeless is insulting to the dead. With its star-studded cast, The Dead Don’t Die definitely had the potential to be a classic “zom com” alongside Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Zombieland (2009), but ultimately deserves to be buried alongside the poorly reviewed and rarely seen Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). Rather than spending your well-earned money watching a seemingly bored Bill Murray here, cuddle up on the couch and watch him steal the show in Zombieland (2009).
Mark Eaton