Kiwi buddy comedy offers Friday night fun
Dead (M, 90 mins) Directed by Hayden JWeal Reviewed by ★★★
Dane ‘‘Marbles’’ Marbeck (Tom Sainsbury) can see dead people. It’s a ‘‘gift’’ he’s had for the past two years, ever since his own father’s funeral when, in his grief, he mixed marijuana with his dearly departed dad’s neuro meds.
When injected, its potent combination allows him to act as a ‘‘condweet’’ between the living and ghosts that have failed to pass over. As he’s quick to stress, he’s not doing this service for themoney, but to help both parties find peace.
However, resolving Aotearoa Police Service officer Jayson Tagg’s (Hayden JWeal) request may take a little longer.
Recently murdered, hewants Marbles to help him hunt the killer, a person he believes is responsible for at least six other recent deaths.
Quite apart from Marbles simply doing his civic duty, Tagg also promises to try to get him a cut of the life insurance payout currently destined for Tagg’s sister Yana (To¯mai Ihaia).
Stuck on home detention for a drink-driving offence, she had been helping Tagg try to solve the murder spree, before his untimely demise.
Marbles though, has problems of his own. Aman whose only friend is his drug dealer (and he even missed his birthday party), he’s now desperate to stop his maniacal mother (JenniferWard-Lealand) from selling his home – the family farm.
Her ultimatum? Come up with $150,000 in two days, or it’s gone. That’s when it dawns on Marbles that maybe he should assist Tagg.
Likewriter-director Weal’s impressive 2016 debut Chronesthesia, Dead is something of a genre mash-up.
But whereas that visual love letter to Wellington wore its mix of comedy and romance lightly, Dead offers something far brasher – with mixed results.
Akindof Ghost- meets- The Frighteners, byway of The Sixth Sense and, um, Speedo Cops, Weal and co-star/co-writer Sainsbury’s crime thriller-cum-buddy comedy don’t quite nail the resulting tonal shifts.
As he’s shown many times, Sainsbury is a gifted impressionist (particularly of politicians), but his character here fails to fully engage.
Maybe it’s a result of the deadpan success of Wellington Paranormal, but Dead’s combination of the supernatural and silly behaviour just felt a little too forced.
Not that there aren’t some inspired moments on offer.
The burgeoning romantic banter between Marbles and Yana contains somememorable chat-up lines (‘‘cacao givesme the squits’’) and the sight of the current New Zealander of the Year drunkenly dancing and throwing up is one not easily forgotten.
The murder-mystery part though feels a little too Scooby Doo, and the story’s lack of characters eventually come home to roost.
Still, if you’re looking for an amiable enough slice of Friday night fun, Dead could be just the ticket.