Here After – 2021 Romantic Comedy

In large measure Here After is an entertaining, unpredictable and original spin on afterlife romantic comedy films.

It is set in New York, where Michael, a young struggling actor (Andy Karl) dies in a motor vehicle accident. As he was unattached at the time, he finds himself before Scarlett, the processor of dead singles in transit (played perfectly by the ever so stylish Christina Ricci) who informs him that in order to pass to ‘the other side,’ he must find an equally dead soulmate.

What complicates Michael’s search is that Honey Bee, the charming young woman with whom he falls in love (Nora Aznederer) is not dead. It is this quirky storyline that makes this film interesting and less predictable than most in this genre.

Visually, the film is quirky, urban and not so otherworldly. Christina Ricci is cast perfectly as the adviser of uncoupled recently deceased. With the exception of her name, Honey Bee is spared many of the cliches of this genre and is played convincingly by Nora Aznederer.

The performances of Andy Karl and his character’s cringe-worthy mate Angelo, played by Michael Rispoli, are less believable and often downright irritating. This is not due to their acting, but rather, the often irritating script. Many of their lines sound like a louder, cruder, dumbed down and far less witty version of a Woody Allen script.  When skillfully crafted, cringe-worthy language and crude references can be funny or not feel out of place. This is especially the case with some New York Jewish characters we have encountered in other films. This cannot be said of the lines delivered by the main male actors in this film.  That the scriptwriter (Harry Greenburger) is also the director and co-producer may explain why even such a glaring flaw was not identified and rectified.

Nevertheless, this film is thoroughly entertaining and deserves more positive reviews than it has received. With respect to my gripe,  it could be that I’m just showing my age.