It's a Wonderful Afterlife

I cannot believe that I have just come back from watching this film at the cinema, and the best thing about going was watching the film trailers before the actual film started. This is categorised as a "comedy horror"....it wasn't funny, and it would not scare my 5 year old nephew. The scary part was how bad the acting was and the storyline. The film concept did not work and it felt like a lot of the attempted jokes were too forced. The director attempted to make a film that would appeal to everyone but ended up as a huge disaster and did not have the fundamentals of being a good film. The director has made other hit films such as Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Predajice and they were much more entertaining to watch. It was very surprised that such a highly rated directer managed to make such a mess of this film and I cannot think of one memorable part of the film that would encourage me to recommend it to others.

Let face it Gurinder Chadha struck bingo with "Bend it like Beckham" and it was nothing but sheer luck. And came "Bride & Predujice" and the true colours surfaced. When you watch "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" you can be certain to demand refund for your ticket. Its an insult to my favourite feel-good Christmas movie "It's A Wonder Life" (can I demand a change of title as well?). Needless to say predictably pathetic, killing with Chiken Tikka? OMG! Its heights of brain-storming gone amok!

Shabana Azmi:: Its sad to see a powerhouse of talent being wasted.

Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sanjiv Bhaskar & Zoe Wanamaker were just OK.

The cinematic liberties under the garb of Bollywood type of cinema should be completely stopped.

This film pays respect to a lot of other films and genres but is definitely its own film. I loved the characters in it and it is humorous with some cracking one liners too. Definitely recommend it.

Certainly not as bad as other reviews have made out. I knew nothing about the film in advance but had an expectation of a humorous horror. That's what I got. I didn't expect an Oscar winner, or something taxing with multiple subplots, or some subtext relating to Bolshevik Russia - and I wasn't disappointed in this. In terms of horror, comedy, crime thriller, love story, family relationships and everything else thrown into the film I found most aspects were topped by other films. None of these bits rose above the others and none stood out as particularly good. It was therefore a bit mellow and so a pretty simple watch. Some pop stars these days are raved about but I really wouldn't have them as anything other than background music at a dinner party. This warranted a bit more attention than a background film whilst I potter about the house, although I was occasionally tempted to grab a cup of tea and check my phone for emails/messages without pausing it. I am sure was not the wish of the director/producer. However, there was enough to hold me for the whole film. I thought the presentation and acting was as expected with the whole thing being slightly above average - hence the 6/10.

Granted the expectations were high because of Shabana Azmi but then again, what can one expect from Gurinder Chaddha. With the exception of her segment in 'Paris, Je T'Aime', I haven't been impressed by any of her work. That said, 'It's a Wonderful Afterlife' isn't that bad. I prefer it over the boring 'Bride and Brejudice'.

The minus points are that Chaddha relies on too many Indian British clichés which have been done to death in many other films. I thought Azmi would have more screen time but was disappointed in that respect. The title is misleading. The story had so much potential but Chaddha messes it up. I didn't find the sequences with the ghosts to be amusing.

Now the plus is that most of the jokes work. I was laughing out loud especially at the sequences with Sally Hawkins. The 'Carrie' homage, though out of place, had me laughing out loud. I thought Shabana Azmi was great with what she was given. she's mostly let down by the poor script. Goldy Notay is quite likable. Sendhil Ramamurthy is limited to playing the typical love interest. Zoe Wanamaker is wasted. Sally Hawkins is a scene stealer.

Overall, I didn't mind 'It's a Wonderful Afterlife' for a one-time-watch. It made me laugh even though it could have easily been a much better movie.