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Burying the Ex (2014) - Joe Dante


Horror Comedy has become so complacent. The jokes and atmosphere is stale, it's tough to pull off in a good way. This is one of those complacent movies. It has a good amount of star power, but the writing falls flat. The gore and practical effects are the saving grace. Veteran Joe Dante knows his stuff and happens to be the one person that is trying. It's just lame. 

Max (Anton Yelchin) is in a crappy relationship with a controlling and manipulative girl, Evelyn. Fate smiles upon our young friend Max and kills off the girlfriend by having her struck by a bus. After a bit of grieving, Max has the freedom to start seeing a new girl, Olivia. Things get complicated when Evelyn comes back from the dead as a brain craving zombie. Evelyn seeks to rekindle her relationship with Max while physically deteriorating in front of him. And Max is trying to move on, keeping his dead ex-girlfriend a secret from Olivia for now. 

This one is brought to us from horror movie legend, Joe Dante. It follows the usual humor found in most Dante pictures. It had hints of the usual schlock-ness, but comes off as more mature than his previous entries. The movie leans heavily on the comedy angle and succeeds at being funny during a few scenes. However, the overall story is just bland. The details are great but it's not enough to carry the picture. 

Burying the Ex is a decent date movie. It's not good enough to care about if things go in your direction, so you wouldn't be missing much. The movie is not scary in any way whatsoever. It's too fun. Or at least, it tries to be fun. It's not going to give you nightmares and is safe enough for just about anyone. It may be a bit too risque for the younger ones, but teens would love it. 
Initial release: September 4, 2014
Director: Joe Dante
Initial DVD release: August 4, 2015
Screenplay: Alan Trezza
Music composed by: Joseph LoDuca

Did ya know...
Near the beginning of the film a moving truck can be seen with the name Romero & Sons. A reference to George A. Romero who is the father of zombie movies.
When Max and Evelyn are having sex at the beginning of the film, the movie Fright Night (1985) is playing on the TV. Anton Yelchin played the lead role in the 2011 remake, Fright Night (2011).


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