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Dead Like
Me: Life After Death (2009)
 As
big fans of the "Dead Like Me" television series, we were
very excited to learn that a direct-to-dvd movie had been
produced. We pre-ordered the dvd and waited with great
anticipation.
The hope was
that if this movie was successful there might be a chance of
a reprisal of the series or additional direct-to-dvd movies.
After watching this horrible movie we believe this will not
and should not ever happen. Maybe its true that what's dead
should stay dead.
The storyline
was dismal and not in a good way. I can't imagine what
happened to Stephen Godchaux and John Masius who wrote many
of the episodes for the series and surprisingly the script
for the "Dead Like Me: Life After Death" movie. They could
not have strayed further from the original formula. There
was more substance in one of the 42 minute episodes than in
the entire 87 minutes of this movie.
First off,
the wonderful chemistry between the characters that was ever
present in the original series was almost totally gone.
The loss of
Rube (Mandy Patinkin) was a huge mistake and both his
character and the cohesive bond he created within the group
was sorely missed. If it was simply a matter of a scheduling
conflict or payment, the producers should have made the
necessary concessions that would have allowed him to return.
While Sarah
Wynter may be a capable actress, she was totally miscast as
a replacement for Laura Harris in the role of Daisy Adair.
The truth is, if they were unable to have Daisy played by
Ms. Harris, the character, not the actress should have been
replaced.
The Mason
(Callum Blue) character in this movie was very different
from the Mason in the series. His lines seemed forced and
delivered with little enthusiasm. Mason like Daisy, could be
both annoying and endearing at the same time. Both had a
subtle depth in their personalities, which completely
vanished in the movie. Roxy (Jasmine Guy) was simply a shell
of her former self, nothing more.
I should
mention that the actors are not entirely to blame for this,
since part of the director's job is to "direct" the cast.
Of the main
characters, Ellen Muth's portrayal of our beloved Georgia
Lass was the only constant, which can only be explained by
her talented acting skills and obvious love for the
character. It was nice to see Britt McKillip (Reggie Lass),
Christine Willes(Delores Herbig), Cynthia Stevenson (Joy
Lass) and Crystal Dahl (Crystal ) reprise their roles.
Apparently,
Bryan Fuller, the original creator of the television series,
had nothing to do with this film, and it shows. I don't know
if director Stephen Herek ever watched the television
series, but he totally failed in creating the same
atmosphere, quirky relationships and tone that existed in
the series. The cinematography was certainly not "movie"
quality. The original series was filmed in Vancouver and for
whatever reasons they decided to shoot the movie in
Montréal. This may not sound like it would make a big
difference, but it did. Outdoor scenes simply did not have
the same look and feel.
Just because
you loved the television series does not mean you will or
should love this poorly made movie. Watching the "Dead Like
Me: Life After Death" movie was almost painful and its
creation felt more like sabotage than ineptness. If this had
been the pilot for the series, we would have never watched
another episode.
Not worth
watching, even on Halloween night!
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