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Darby and the Dead Review (2022 Movie)

Darby and the Dead is entertaining from start to finish. Geared more towards the tween/teen audience, it is the leads to make it work so well. 

DARBY AND THE DEAD movie review

(L-R): Riele Downs as Darby Harper and Auli’i Cravalho as Capri in 20th Century Studios’ DARBY AND THE DEAD, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Marcos Cruz. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Darby and the Dead takes an interesting premise and makes an entertaining movie out of it. Thanks to the two amazing lead performances from Riele Downs (Darby Harper) and Auli’i Cravalho (Capri) the film moves at a quick pace, making sure to deliver heartfelt moments, important life lessons, and even some laugh out loud jokes. It feels like a combination of Clueless and Frighteners.

This movie follows Darby Harper who has been able to see and communicate with the dead since she had a near death experience herself. She has made a life out of helping those who have unfinished business cross over to the other side by helping them accomplish what they need to do. Of course this has no pay, and it has also labeled her as a weirdo at school. When the most popular girl at school, Capri, dies unexpectedly, she must now help her so she can move on. But what Capri wants is for her Sweet 17 party to go off without a hitch, which means Darby must change who she is to become popular and ensure that Capri gets what she wants.

Riele Downs and Auli’i Cravalho are what makes this movie as fun as it is. They have great chemistry together when they are butting heads and when they are getting along. While the rest of the acting in the movie is just mediocre — besides the amazingly talented Tony Danza that is — these two make up for it. The story revolves around the two of them for the most part, and they raise the film to a new level. They make both of their characters relatable and likeable, Cravalho having the more difficult role to do that with. It is easy to root for them both by the time the movie hits its third act. 

darby and the dead tony danza

(L-R): Riele Downs as Darby Harper and Tony Danza as Gary in 20th Century Studios’ DARBY AND THE DEAD, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Marcos Cruz. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

When it comes to the story of Darby and the Dead itself, the overall messages about being yourself and finding those in your life who encourage you to do so shine. Sure, it is extremely predictable but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to watch. Thanks to decent pacing, it never feels too long. It is easy to become invested in the story and even if it is clear how it is all going to end, there are a couple of surprises along the way to keep audiences guessing.

Still, we can’t help but feel like this is not an entirely unique concept. It feels like the combination of several popular films, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just something that needs to be pointed out. Taking an unpopular and isolated student and turning them into one that is popular, even if that means they must abandon their morals and things they enjoy doing, has been done time and time again. It almost always turns out the same way, too. 

darby and the dead review

(L-R): Riele Downs as Darby Harper, Asher Angel as James and Auli’i Cravalho as Capri in 20th Century Studios’ DARBY AND THE DEAD, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Marcos Cruz. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Darby and the Dead does add in a few twists to make it something different in order to keep viewers entertained throughout. There is some great humor mixed in, with several laugh out loud moments — mostly surrounding Capri and her superficial cheerleader friends. The “deados” bring in a much needed change of pace every so often. So much so that we would have loved to see more of them and their problems throughout the film, even if it would have meant extending the runtime just a little bit. 

This movie is very much geared toward tweens and teens — but older audiences can enjoy it as well. It isn’t without its faults, but it is cute and fun. Downs and Cravalho make it a joy to watch. Darby and the Dead is the perfect popcorn movie, so be sure to check it out on December 2nd when it hits Hulu. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

NEXT: Spirited Review (2022 Apple TV+ Movie)

darby and the dead movie poster

 

About Darby and the Dead

After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (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 (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.

Darby and the Dead is streaming exclusively on Hulu starting December 2nd!