Jorma Taccone shifts genres for his third directorial effort, “Over Your Dead Body,” from IFC Films. Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney pen the film’s screenplay, a remake of the 2001 Norwegian film “The Trip”.
Dan (Jason Segel) is a down-on-his-luck film director working in commercials to make ends meet.
Married to a younger stage actress, Lisa (Samara Weaving), Dan is at his wits’ end with her and plans to kill her on their upcoming vacation, where they hope to reconnect. However, what Dan doesn’t know is that Lisa plans to kill him as well.
As the couple tries to get up on another, they find themselves forced to work together when three escaped convicts, Pete (Timothy Olyphant). Allegra (Juliette Lewis) and Todd (Keith Jardine) show up at their vacation residence.
I don’t recall ever seeing “The Trip” despite its popularity, so I went into “Over Your Dead Body” with a mindset. I’m a fan of the cast and director, though, and wanted to see how well they would work together. The film starts simply enough, with Segel delivering his usual dry wit. While Weaving taps into her horror heroine, we’ve come to love her with ease.
The two actors play well off each other, giving off an organic vibe of a couple who lost their way, whether through a lack of intimacy, financial woes, or poor communication. In hindsight, the film may have worked with the two just going toe to toe in the vein of “The War of the Roses,” but adding Olyphant and Lewis adds an extra layer of grit.
Olyphant has a natural, aggressive vibe, with piercing eyes and a gravelly, deadpan delivery. While Lewis can allude to sex appeal and bat-ish crazy vibes. Keith Jardine was an actor I wasn’t familiar with. His character does show cluelessness about those who rely on brawn immediately, but he has some scene-stealing moments.
The film really finds its footing when all of the characters force Segeal to go against type. Primarily known for comedy, Segel has to unleash his inner alpha if he wants to survive, but Taccone’s direction doesn’t turn him into a John Wick type. Instead, it’s something more akin to the passive-aggressive arc of Dustin Hoffman’s character in “Straw Dogs”.
Weaving also doesn’t go full Sarah Connor or Ripley mode, which I respected, but she does continue to carve a comfortable niche in the horror genre. One of the most surprising things, though, is the direction by Jorma Taccone, who impresses in the film’s gorier moments and fistfight sequences.
A solid mix of suspense and comedy, “Over Your Dead Body” delivers enough thrills and twists for fans of the genre.
Final Grade: B
