The Dead Don't Die

I hate this movie. I saw it for free and still want my money back. It is an absolutely pointless, meandering vanity project that attempts to trick you into thinking it's cleverer than it is. According to the director himself, it was designed to be a dumb movie comprised of dumb bits as a way to make money hanging out with his friends. And what's worse is that the trailer tricks you into thinking it is an entirely different movie - the worst kind of lie you can tell in an effort to lure people away from their hard-earned money and precious time.

There is literally no point to anything that happens; Jarmusch has no sense of pace or urgency or meaning. And in my opinion, art for the sake of itself alone is condescending towards your audience. I normally like his work, along with all of the actors, the subject matter and tone - this should have been right in my wheelhouse. But I left feeling like the director had a contemptuous view of the people watching his film (in EVERY regard) and that just doesn't sit well with me. Not everything has to matter in a movie, but SOMETHING should.

Ultimately, it felt like a third-rate SNL skit that was allowed to drag on for two hours.

All the ingredients to produce a masterpiece are present: 1) A director I love, Jim Jarmusch, due to the excellent Paterson (2016) and Broken Flowers (2005). 2) A to-die-for cast, with Bill Murray in particular. 3) A sens of humor that regularly flirts with the absurd, including wacky and irreverent dialogues like « a black coffee please, but not too black » for instance. 4) The mesmerizing voice of Tom Waits. 5) A slight criticism of our society, especially the progressive global warming because of a strong procrastination with regard to the respect of our environment, and, albeit to a lesser extent, consumerism. 6) Zombies! I may confess that I have a crush on zombies. 7) ...

So, all the ingredients are lumped together but, it's quite strange and even weird, the recipe is rather unsuccessful: the atmosphere is sometimes cutesy or even insipid, the characters are usually devoid of enthusiasm and quite often apathetic, and the final scene rhymes with bitterness and bewilderment.

Although the film is not completely lousy thanks to a few successful scenes, I was globally bored and disappointed. In my humble opinion, this movie is a non-event and, as an echo with itself, should be buried alive, from now on until the end of the world. And even longer!

In Centerville, the undead rise when there is a shift in the axis of rotation of Earth. "The Dead Don't Die" is the slow development of this storyline following several dwellers of this town. Films by Jim Jarmusch are usually cult and slow paced. His navigation through the zombie genre is an uneven film, with at least a good surprise like the flying saucer scene and many boring and unfunny moments. The cast composed by many veteran actors and actresses is a plus but the final result is neither cult nor worthwhile spending 1h 44 min watching. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Os Mortos Não Morrem" ("The Dead Don't Die")

Typical Jarmush. Is it slow paced? Check. Is it dialogue heavy? Check. Is it absurd at times? Check. To the people that complain it's not action packed enough I would reply it's as action packed as Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Also I think because this movie has zombies in it people give it lots of low reviews, because it's a case of missed expectations.

There's a simple filter you can use to decide whether to watch it. If you enjoyed any of the previous Jarmush movies you won't be heavily disappointed. While not an instant classic it's true to his style. If not, maybe start with one of his earlier movies (Broken Flowers, Night on Earth, Ghost Dog, Dead Man) to get a taste of Jarmush first.

I saw the trailer and all the great actors, so I was naturally excited. Then I saw the whole thing and was extremely disappointed. Such wasted talent. The acting of course was phenomenal but the writing was just dead.