Life After Beth

Writer-director Jeff Baena's zombie comedy boasts a strong cast, with Dane DeHaan starring as Zach, newly devastated by the death of his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza). Zach shares his grief with Beth's parents Maury and Geenie (John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon), while his own father and mother (Paul Reiser and Cheryl Hines) are less understanding, and his brother (Matthew Gray Gubler) is positively contemptuous. But then Maury and Geenie suddenly cut off ties with Zach and he soon discovers why: Beth has returned from the dead, and mom and dad are intent on protecting her from prying eyes. Although he worries that she might be a zombie (Maury prefers to think of her as resurrected), Zach is so overjoyed at Beth's reappearance that he heedlessly resumes their romance—until she begins displaying unmistakable signs of undead behavior. As Beth grows progressively worse, other dearly departed start showing up too, with increasingly ravenous needs, and before long the community degenerates into a general apocalypse. Meanwhile, Zach meets another girl (Anna Kendrick) who might provide the affection that Beth no longer can. The actors squeeze every bit of humor possible out of the situations here, but ultimately Life After Beth comes across as more frantic than funny. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)