An action-comedy film with hints of horror, led by Samara Weaving and Jason Segel, produced by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick’s 87North Productions along with Karen Gillan, written by two dudes whose work was posted on CollegeHumor’s (now rebranded as Dropout) website, and directed by one-third of The Lonely Island comedy trio. Altogether, these ingredients should comprise an excellent project centered on marriage and murder. Undoubtedly, such one proves successful.
Even then, considering the Hollywood machine that churns out film adaptations and remakes, a production can only go far. In Over Your Dead Body‘s case, I don’t suggest anything negative in that regard. I have utmost respect for all the talent involved. I’ve had fun with Bullet Train and Violent Night, and MacGruber is hilarious for what it entails. The chemistry of leads Weaving and Segel with Timothy Olyphant as the primary antagonist is a special combination. For what it’s worth, Over Your Dead Body is a delightful and entertaining time at the theater for Western audiences.
Over Your Dead Body is written by Nick Kocher (Saturday Night Live Seasons 42 & 43, Pizza Movie) and Brian McElhaney (Saturday Night Live Seasons 42 & 43, Pizza Movie) and is directed by Jorma Taccone (MacGruber, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping).
Over Your Dead Body is remade from executive producer Tommy Wirkola as well as John Niven and Nick Ball’s 2021 Norwegian-language film, I onde dager (or In evil days or In bad days), or The Trip.
In this review, I will discuss Over Your Dead Body. As the article’s title states, no spoilers will be present.
Independent Film Company’s Synopsis
According to Independent Film Company, here is the official synopsis for Jorma Taccone, Nick Kocher, and Brian McElhaney’s Over Your Dead Body.
When miserable couple Dan and Lisa retreat to a remote cabin for a romantic reset, each arrives with a secret plan to murder the other. Their carefully plotted traps and counterplots quickly unravel when a dangerous crew crashes the weekend with plans of their own. As the toxic getaway spirals into chaotic carnage, Dan and Lisa must survive the intruders, each other, and figure out if they want to save their marriage or survive it.
Independent Film Company
Discussion
Over Your Dead Body is an almost shot-for-shot, beat-by-beat remake of I onde dager (or In evil days or In bad days), or The Trip. Unfortunately, Netflix gives itself the disadvantage of making the latter only available in an English-language dubbing and not on display through the Norwegian tongue. What I will say, though, is that The Trip works well as part-action thriller, part-psychological horror, and part-dark comedy. Independent Film Company’s official production notes cite the film as a “marriage-on-the-brink action-horror-anti-rom-com”. Jorma, Kocher, and McElhaney’s remake is a sufficiently brilliant cross-genre title that features hints of horror. Yet, perhaps it’s the desensitization of the American audience to violence even outside of that genre that reduces this to an action comedy thriller; as for the romantic comedy sentiments, it isn’t that exactly.
For those who have seen The Trip, you aren’t missing anything in Over Your Dead Body that the former hasn’t already touched on. The smaller details are altered or tweaked, but really, that’s as far as I can be certain of. Segel presents his character as grosser in ways that the original male lead can merely insinuate. The new gags brought into the film’s comedic aspects are gems. Jorma, Kocher, and McElhaney remove a #MeToo character backstory and the leads’ shared Jewish background. In place of those, the cabin’s rooms and front yard exhibit spicier sequences. I’m pleased by the protagonists’ build-up in confidence and courage, which make these sequences come off as exhilarating.
The larger spoilers from the original film stay nearly the same here. Kocher and McElhaney change three escaped convicts to two prison escapees and one accomplice prison guard. Other than that, Over Your Dead Body isn’t a tremendous thing to write home about.
Renewing Themes (and Vows?)
With that said, the line “Obviously, films can be art” is a good takeaway that Over Your Dead Body leans more into. Lisa (Weaving) and Dan’s (Segel) game of Scrabble doesn’t point to a theme of how meaning in words and people change. Rather, it plays into the concept of nonsense. That is, things can be funny because they need not tap into an appeal to logos. The dynamics between the antagonists are finer-tuned. Plus, Allegra (Juliette Lewis) has something to do to fulfill herself as a character. Her love for the prison convicts extends to bonding with them through a game of charades, which leads to a laughable punchline or two. On that note, I love the juxtaposing tastes in media consumption.
Dan still uses wired earphones while listening to philosophical lectures. Meanwhile, Lisa uses wireless earbuds to listen to the “Bitch Sesh” podcast. Allegra’s bond with Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith Jardine) through her favorite movie further showcases the connection that Pete has with Dan, a film director. Interestingly, there is commentary on Western/ Westernized perceptions of filmmaking and what individuals are willing to accept. Are commercials, television, and motion pictures manufactured to convey any messages? Or are they made to sell products and images? That’s the rhetorical point raised when streaming content is called into question. The film kind of, sort of asks the audience who Dan and Lisa truly are and why we should care about them at all.
Production on the Remake
Evidently, Jorma, Kocher, and McElhaney’s remake is produced by different hands. Production designer Joseph A. Hodges and art directors Juha-Matti Toppinen and Tuomas Kyrö’s cabin by the lake is a tad more rustic and austere than the original. For example, The Trip‘s cabin is unlocked using a security button pad, whereas the front door of Over Your Dead Body‘s cabin is unlocked with a hidden key. The color schemes and gaffer Timo Haapasaari’s lighting helps in lowering the visual tone.
Director of photography Matthew Weston’s cinematography paired with editor Jeremy Cohen’s cuts are meticulous with the timing of the narrative, especially with the action sequences, down to the framing. The framing of Dan doing his business in the woods by the cabin as Lisa recites line is great. The introduction of the prison escapees is more sped up in its montage, although that doesn’t take away from the narrative. This movie’s kill scenes have wonderful executions, thanks to stunt coordinators Can Aydin, Oula Kitti, along with the stunt doubles. If there is anything to watch the film for, then it might be the special effects and prosthetics.
The Crew Behind Over Your Dead Body
Matthew Weston (The Trip, Violent Night, Thrash) serves as the director of photography.
Antti Rastivo is credited as the stills photographer.
Timo Haapasaari is credited as the gaffer.
Jeremy Cohen (Fresh Off the Boat, Young Rock, Totally Killer) serves as the editor.
Matthew Compton (MacGruber, Death Valley, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Palm Springs, Sweet Revenge) serves as the music composer.
Cody Partridge (Orphan Black Seasons 1 to 4, Letterkenny, Blackberry, A Fermenting Woman, Humane, Coyotes, Honey Bunch) serves as the music supervisor.
Mark Dejczak serves as the supervising sound editor.
Paul Germann (Foundation Season 1, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, The Shrouds, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) serves as the sound designer.
Stefana Fratila is credited as the music and sound effects editor.
Melissa Kostenbauder (Scary Movie 4, The Hangover, This Is the End, The Purge Season 1, Blumhouse Television and Hulu’s Into the Dark Season 2, Get Away, The Studio) serves as the casting director.
Terje Kissa serves as the Finland casting director. Sara Aaltonen serves as the Finland casting assistant.
Can Aydin (Violent Night, The Fall Guy, Love Hurts, Thunderbolts*) serves as the stunt coordinator.
Oula Kitti (Sisu, Get Away, Sisu: Road to Revenge) serves as the Finland stunt coordinator.
Cha-Lee Yoon (The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, The Matrix Resurrections, Obi-Wan: Kenobi, Violent Night, John Wick: Chapter 4, Thunderbolts*) serves as the fight coordinator.
Sara-Maria Heinonen is credited as the intimacy coordinator.
David Niednagel serves as the visual effects supervisor.
Aesthetics
Joseph A. Hodges (Hook, True Lies, The Trip) serves as the production designer.
Juha-Matti Toppinen and Tuomas Kyrö serve as the art directors.
Mia Määttä serves as the set decorator.
Tom Jørgensen serves as the special effects supervisor.
Ninna Päiväläinen serves as the costume designer.
Tytti Vaaleri (Sisu, Bridgerton, Get Away) serves as the key hair and makeup designer.
Hanna Ilkko (Get Away), Iida Rajaviita (Get Away), and Stephanie Korhonen serve as the hair and makeup artists.
Steinar Kaarstein serves as the key special effects makeup and prosthetics designer.
Sangeet Prabhaker serves as the co-special effects makeup designer.
The Cast of Over Your Dead Body
Jason Segel (SLC Punk!, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five-Year Engagement, Shrinking) portrays Dan. The character is renamed Dan from Lars in the original film.
Samara Weaving (Ash vs Evil Dead, The Babysitter, Ready or Not, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, The Valet, Babylon, Scream VI, Borderline, Eenie Meanie, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) portrays Lisa.
Paul Guilfoyle portrays Michael, Dan’s father.
Timothy Olyphant (Scream 2, The Girl Next Door, Deadwood, Justified, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Fargo Season 4, The Book of Boba Fett, Full Circle, Alien: Earth) portrays Pete, the leader of three prison escapees.
Juliette Lewis (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Cape Fear, Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn, Ma, Yellowjackets Seasons 1 & 2, I’m a Virgo, Opus) plays Allegra, an accomplice prison guard.
Keith Jardine portrays Todd, an escaped convict with Third Reich tattoos.
Nikolai Kinski and Kayla Radomski play Frank and Renée, two actors in a cellphone commercial.
Jennifer Amaka Pettersson appears as Louise, Dan’s colleague.
Fight coordinator Cha-Lee Yoon portrays Kevin, Michael’s nurse.
Danusia Samal portrays Rachel, Lisa’s friend. Jake Curran portrays Henry’s an old high school peer of Dan’s.
Minor Roles
Bill Jones plays a news anchor.
Robert Goodman portrays Carl Marshall, a friend and neighbor of Michael’s.
Iina Kuustonen, André Eriksen (Mayhem, The Trip, Violent Night, Love Hurts), and Ikka Villi play Hollywood versions of Allegra, Todd, and Pete, respectively.
Kumail Nanjiani (The Five-Year Engagement, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Adventure Time, The Big Sick, Silicon Valley, Stuber, Eternals, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Welcome to Chippendales, Fallout Season 2, The White Lotus Season 4) portrays an uncredited role as himself, who plays a Hollywood version of Dan.
Performances and Character Developments
Weaving is cited as “a lynchpin figure of violent genre cinema”. Indeed, every role that I have seen the actor in thus far has been breath-taking. Lisa is no different, trading a Norwegian-Swedish identity for a natural Australian accent. As usual, Weaving is a hot addition to the world of film. Costume designer Ninna Päiväläinen and key hair and makeup designer Tytti Vaaleri recreate Lisa’s appearance, and Weaving owns it. Her black turtleneck and blonde hair parted to the left are a unique look as opposed to Noomi Rapace just dying her hair blond. Weaving’s line-readings are also neatly delivered. However, Lisa herself still isn’t a memorable character.
Segel, “the comedic prince of pathos” as the production notes refer to him, portrays a version of the sloppy male lead that Aksel Hennie played in the original. Dan isn’t as secretive about what he is up to and is presented as weaker here than Hennie’s Lars. The fact that Lisa is Australian gives Segel and his character the opportunity to mock her accent at least a couple of times. For one of his first roles in action and/or horror, the actor achieves a new feat in histrionics.
Olyphant is his usual self in Over Your Dead Body. His freedom to act as an antagonist continues to work. He taps into his role as Mickey Altieri from Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s Scream 2 for a bit during the final scene. Still, his pale, ghostly hair cements him as a different type of bad guy.
Final Thoughts on Over Your Dead Body
I never expected Over Your Dead Body to beat The Trip as a whole. Why must it? As characters, the film allows Weaving and Segel to perform their butts off. The former is the usual scream queen, and the latter proficient in balancing levity with gravity. They aren’t a match made in Heaven, but I appreciate the “miracle” of making a movie with some likable faces in it. The cameo appearances from Kumail Nanjiani and co-producer Karen Gillan are the sweet icing on the cake. Then again, I would love for a narrative spin that extrapolates more than what is simply offered for viewers’ eyes.
Jorma Taccone, Nick Kocher, and Brian McElhaney’s Over Your Dead Body is now playing in theaters!
Have you seen The Trip? If so, then what are your thoughts on them so far? Let us know! For more action, comedy, and thriller-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky! Also, follow us on Letterboxd for further feature film, short film, and limited series reviews!
