In ‘Over Your Dead Body,’ a couple that plots violent marital separation meets its match

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Okay, so in the opening flashback of “Over Your Dead Body,” we see Samara Weaving’s character, Lisa, really venting to a friend about a hunting trip her husband, Dan (played by Jason Segel), is forcing her on. She dramatically tells her friend how much she hates guns and how dangerous they are. But it quickly becomes clear she’s not being entirely truthful – actually, she’s lying twice! And honestly, that sets the tone for the whole movie. It’s a really twisty dark comedy that basically sees marriage as this incredibly violent, all-out war. It’s a clever idea, but ultimately, I found the movie a little underwhelming.

Inspired by Tommy Wirkola’s 2021 film “The Trip”, “Over Your Dead Body” tells the story of a struggling couple whose marriage and careers have lost their spark. Dan, a filmmaker who once had some success, is now making low-budget commercials, while Lisa’s acting career is failing. At the start of the movie, Dan announces to his crew that he and Lisa are going on a remote hiking trip – something he claims is Lisa’s idea, even though it’s dangerous. It quickly becomes clear that this is a cover for his secret plan: to murder Lisa at his family’s cabin and make it look like she simply vanished in the woods.

Director Jorma Taccone slowly reveals that Dan isn’t the only one planning something dangerous. A flashback shows Lisa also plotting against Dan, telling friends he wants to go hunting—but secretly bringing a rifle with the intention of making it look like he died in an accident. She clearly isn’t worried about guns, if she ever was. Dan is hurt and angry when he discovers her plan, wondering why she would want to kill him. He feels justified in his own actions, though, as he caught Lisa having an affair with a co-star.

The situation at the cabin takes a dangerous turn when Dan and Lisa realize they aren’t the only ones there. We learn through flashbacks that two escaped convicts, Todd and Pete, along with Pete’s girlfriend and a guard at the prison, Allegra, are also hiding out at the cottage. Now, Dan and Lisa, who have been arguing, must put their differences aside and team up to survive.

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As someone who loves movies, I’ve been following Akiva Taccone’s work for a while now – he’s one-third of The Lonely Island and directed the hilarious ‘MacGruber’ movie. He also co-directed ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,’ which I can watch over and over again. His new film, ‘Over Your Dead Body,’ seems right up his alley. He’s working with producer David Leitch, who’s known for those really fun, over-the-top action-comedies like ‘Nobody’ and ‘Violent Night.’ Taccone’s style is always a little bit edgy and unexpected, and that feels perfect for a story that mixes heartbreak with some seriously wild, and often gruesome, action – think lawnmowers, cars, even garden tools and a sock filled with a pool ball being used as weapons. It sounds like a really unique and funny combination!

Despite the actors’ efforts, the constant arguing between the main characters isn’t very entertaining – they’re simply annoying rather than amusing. When the new group arrives, they’re portrayed as overly eccentric, which makes them neither frightening nor funny, though Olyphant’s character does have some good moments reacting to how clueless the others are.

Aside from a brief, awkward nod to “Deliverance,” the film’s climax – a confrontation between a dull couple and ridiculous criminals – isn’t very exciting. Instead, “Over Your Dead Body” focuses on exaggerated, violent fights meant to shock and disgust. Gunshots don’t just wound; they create gruesome injuries – heads become messy, fingers are severed, and limbs are destroyed. The director clearly enjoys showing this excess, but after seeing one character brutally injured, the effect quickly becomes repetitive.

The movie uses dark humor as the number of deaths increases. Dan and Lisa initially plan to kill each other on their trip, but they unexpectedly fall in love again. While both actors are better when their characters start to connect, the film doesn’t quite live up to Weaving’s potential, especially considering her strong performance in the “Ready or Not” films. In those movies, she was convincing as a bride thrown into a dangerous game, skillfully blending physical action with subtle comedy as she dealt with increasingly ridiculous situations.

In “Over Your Dead Body,” Weaving plays a character facing relatable challenges, and her strong performance is a highlight of this somewhat flawed action-comedy. She brings a clever understanding of marriage to the film, a theme that’s largely overlooked elsewhere. It’s frustrating enough that Lisa has to manage Dan’s insecurities—now she’s also dealing with clumsy criminals? It feels like she’s expected to handle everything in the relationship.

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2026-04-25 04:02