Released in very limited demand, Jeff Baena's zombie comedy Life After Beth stars Dane DeHaan and Aubrey Plaza. When Zach Orfman's (DeHaan) girlfriend Beth (Plaza) passes away, he is left grief stricken and lonely; that is until he catches sight of Beth back at her house, after an apparent miracle that rose her from the dead. Overjoyed to reunite with her, things soon take a turn for the worse when Beth's physical and mental state deteriorates into something quite sinister...
Life After Beth has a handful of laugh out loud moments - but it doesn't seem to offer much else. It excels in both slapstick and funny dialogue, but as many other people have said, the concept seems to work as a short gag - not translating well to a feature film. The plot is weakly drafted and lazy, and often contrives whatever it wants without a thorough explanation. While this isn't offensively bad for such a silly storyline, it makes the film come off as a massive vanity project.
In spite of its weak narrative, Life After Beth does have some really solid performances from a talented cast, particularly Plaza and DeHaan, and John C. Reilly in a relatively small role. The script is also packed with some witty jokes and dialogue - unfortunately this isn't enough to save the film from being a relatively brainless affair, amounting to little more than a guilty pleasure.
