“There are lots of routines, funny lines and subtle sight gags to keep you entertained … It plays with the edges of dark comedy but it’s definitely on the lighter side.”
Con Nats
3.5 Pretzels
t’s nice to see the rom-com genre turned on its head with this one set in the after-life.
Larry (Miles Teller) comes to the after-life after choking on a pretzel and his wife, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) soon joins him. The problem is, Joan’s first love (and war hero first husband) Luke, (Callum Turner) has been waiting 67 years for her. Poor Jane has a week to decide between which one to spend her eternity with.
The after-life is like an airport lounge where newly deceased people are coming in on trains and have a week to decide which Eternity they want to ‘live’ in. You only get one choice and there are Eternities to suit all tastes, such as a 30s Berlin with 100% less Nazis, a Parisian one, where they speak English, and even one for smokers. (Yay!)
They are assisted by an AC (After-Life Co-Ordinator) and Larry and Joan are assisted by Anna (Da’Vine Randolph) and Ryan (John Early) respectively.
This set-up lends itself to lots of comedy and writer director David Freyne doesn’t miss any opportunity. There are lots of routines, funny lines and subtle sight gags to keep you entertained and the ACs have lots of comic routines to keep the entertainment flowing. It plays with the edges of dark comedy but it’s definitely on the lighter side.
Writer-Director David Freyne keeps the story moving quickly, and brings very good performances out of his actors, who aren’t well known comedians. All the characters are charming, have nice arcs, there’s great chemistry between the three leads and comedic moments from the ACs. It’s hard to predict which choice Joan is going to make, as she needs to decide between the idealism of love or the reality of relationships. You’re bound to be right at some point, but let’s avoid spoilers.
Being a rom-com it’s predictable that love will triumph and the third act falls into tired territory. This feels like a throwback to an 80s film and is faithful to its genre. It aims to entertain rather than challenge and succeeds in its modest way.
3.5 Pretzels
Con Nats, On The Screen
