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Darby and the Dead

Play trailer Poster for Darby and the Dead PG-13 2022 1h 41m Comedy Drama Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (Riele Downs) gains the ability to see dead people. As a result, she becomes introverted and shut off from her high school peers and prefers to spend time counseling lonely spirits who have unfinished business on earth. But all that changes when Capri (Auli'i Cravalho), the Queen Bee of the school's most exclusive clique, unexpectedly dies in a freak hair straightening accident, resulting in the obvious cancellation of her upcoming "Sweet 17." Capri, however, pleads with Darby from the other side to intervene and convince Capri's friends to proceed with the party as planned. In order to appease the wrath of the undead diva, Darby must emerge from her self-imposed exile and reinvent herself -- which along the way allows her to find new joy back in the land of the living.
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Critics Consensus

Darby and the Dead's intriguing premise and appealing cast elevate it above standard teen comedy fare, even if the end result is often frustratingly shallow.

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Critics Reviews

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Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Darby and the Dead is no game-changer but it is thoroughly enjoyable and energetic. Rated: 3/4 Dec 8, 2022 Full Review Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter With a refreshingly diverse cast and a compelling premise, there’s a lot to appreciate about Darby and the Dead — even with its muddied execution. Dec 5, 2022 Full Review Jude Dry IndieWire Darby and the Dead mashes up a host of YA movie tropes into a snappy but ultimately forgettable ride. Rated: C Dec 2, 2022 Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix The cringeworthy comedy Darby and the Dead is as fresh and funny as a rotting corpse. This dreadful dud relentlessly insults its characters and viewers, as it clumsily rips off ideas from better movies. Jan 2, 2023 Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) Well written and acted teen supernatural story. Riele Downs and Auli'i Cravalho are excellent Dec 31, 2022 Full Review Sean P. Means The Movie Cricket With rare exceptions, movie studios usually call it right when they debut a movie on streaming instead of theaters — and that’s the case with “Darby and the Dead,” a teen comedy that’s not quite as fun as its premise. Rated: 2.5/4 Dec 11, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (11) audience reviews
Abi A For a ghost established that it cannot see her reflection in mirrors, for sure you can see her shadow in the sand or ground. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review LM This is literally the perfect coming of age movie! I wish I had watched it sooner. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/23/23 Full Review Peter P Riele Dawns gives a charismatic lead and her friend gives the necessary energy. Mostly fun with some bite, though it's end is rather corny. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/01/23 Full Review mirza m 'Darby and the Dead' is a mostly fun teen comedy that embraces its quirky and whimsical sides to winning effect. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ECDE C Very clichê and boring ....the plot was nice but the execution is lacking. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/05/22 Full Review janie v SPOILERS******** Darby is the subject of bullying, and the death of her bully only amplifies the mistreatment as the ghost has figured out how to use her energy to physically mistreat Darby. Darby has very little self respect as she continuously gives in to her bully, even praising her after the bully forces Darby into embarrassing herself in front of everyone at a party. There's no redemptive trope for Capri, the bully, who just moves into the afterlife. And the character's dead mother has been around the entire time, hidden, and claims she couldn't move on until she knew her daughter was okay. Then where the heck were you when she was being bullied the entire movie?!?!?! This movie had promise but is clearly unable to keep one. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/07/22 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (Riele Downs) gains the ability to see dead people. As a result, she becomes introverted and shut off from her high school peers and prefers to spend time counseling lonely spirits who have unfinished business on earth. But all that changes when Capri (Auli'i Cravalho), the Queen Bee of the school's most exclusive clique, unexpectedly dies in a freak hair straightening accident, resulting in the obvious cancellation of her upcoming "Sweet 17." Capri, however, pleads with Darby from the other side to intervene and convince Capri's friends to proceed with the party as planned. In order to appease the wrath of the undead diva, Darby must emerge from her self-imposed exile and reinvent herself -- which along the way allows her to find new joy back in the land of the living.
Director
Silas Howard
Producer
Eddie Rubin, Adam Saunders, Sarah Shepard
Screenwriter
Becca Greene
Production Co
Footprint Features, 20th Century Studios
Rating
PG-13 (Some Teen Partying|Suggestive Material|Strong Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 2, 2022
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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