DVD Review: DEAD LIKE ME: LIFE AFTER DEATH

by Joey Paur



I was a huge fan of the Showtime series ‘Dead Like Me’, and I was a little ticked off when I found out it would not go on for a third season. It thought the show was done extremely well, and was pretty original. Unlike the TV show, life went on for me. Then I find out a few years ago that a movie was in the works! This is was great news! I would now be able to get caught up with some of my favorite characters and see how the story of these characters could be expanded. The DVD hit the street last month and I finally got around to seeing it, and boy was I let down.

‘Dead Like Me: Life After Death’ was not what I expected at all. I wanted to like this movie so bad but it didn’t happen. It was one disappointment after another. The biggest upset was the fact that Rube played by Mandy Patkin in the TV series was not in the movie at all! They wrote him out, most likely because he couldn’t do it, but still. He was the glue that held the show together! Replacing him in the movie was Henry Ian Cusick who is Desmond in the TV show LOST. He played the character Cameron Kane in the movie. He is supposedly the guy who takes over Rubes position. He has a different approach on how to do things. For example he gives everyone Blackberry’s and instead of yellow post it notes, he texts the reapers the information on who, when and where to collect a soul. The character took all the charm out of this world, and you can see it on screen when you watch the movie! It’s part of the story line. The story takes a turn for the worse when George gets a late text and barely misses the collection of a soul. All of the characters in the story start to fall apart because of Cameron, and it really made for a awful film.

None of the original characters gave a damn about what they were there to do anymore. They all became selfish whores of the system. Daisy Adair who was replaced by another actress in the movie named Sarah Wynter was awful. She was such a terrible actress. Laura Harris did a far superior job in the TV series. Daisy’s character goes off to pursue stage acting in the movie with the hopes of starting a new career and leaving reaping behind her. Mason’s character played by Callum Blue pretty much hung around these two women with the same name the whole damn time and was acting stupider than normal. And then Roxy played by Jasmine Guy, the one character that you thought would stay strong, strayed as well!? All of her actions were so unlike the character they had developed in the TV show! She starts out strong but on the flip of a coin she just stops caring? No. As for George Lass played by Ellen Muth, she is the only character that tries to keep it together the one trying to be responsible but even she falls. Her straying from the bath is the only believable part of the film, probably because we have followed her character from the beginning. Her storyline was the best part of the movie and it still wasn’t that good.

Everyone’s acting was worse than how it was in the TV show, the story and direction just sucked. This movie should not have been made. If they were going to do it they should have done it right. From the very beginning of the film it just stated to crumble. It never picked up any momentum and I am embarrassed for the people that were involved with it. I’m sorry, I loved the TV show! I thought it was brilliant! But ‘Dead Like Me: Life After Death’ did not deliver what it should have.

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