Life After Beth

Just in time for Halloween, a zom-rom-com! Zach (rising indie twink Dane DeHaan) is mourning the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza), from a snakebite. A few days later, he discovers she isn't dead after all (or is she?). She's back home living with her nutty parents (Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly) who are trying desperately to keep her happy.

But Beth has changed a little. Okay, a lot. Her new favorite place to hang out is the attic, when she's hungry she eats car upholstery and only smooth jazz seems to calm her. Could she be... a zombie?

In town, the dead begin rising at an alarming rate, putting Zach's gun-toting, not-so-bright brother (zany Matthew Gray Gubler) on high alert and allowing for some hilarious scenes involving returning dead relatives (Garry Marshall has a killer scene as a long dead granddad).

The film takes its time establishing a believable bond between Beth and Zach, but then shifts gears to incorporate the (impressive) cast. At 89 minutes, writer/director Jeff Baena (co-writer of "I Heart Huckabees.") could have included more footage of these characters so we'd care more about them. Still, it's refreshing to have a zom-com where blood and gore don't rule the day but the bizarre and clever does. What other recent film has a stove stealing a scene?

"Life After Beth" looks great on Blu-ray, its rich and colorful world of suburbia popping nicely. The audio is fine.

Special features include an engaging Audio Commentary track with Baena, Plaza, DeHaan and Gubler, a solid Featurette, "Life After Beth: The Post Mortem" and 20 fascinating minutes of deleted scenes, including funny moments with Zach's band members (completely cut from the final film) and a few scenes that showcase the terrific Cheryl Hines.

Baena does shift tone a bit too frequently and I kept wondering why Anna Kendrick was in the film at all, but DeHaan and the delightful Plaza, make such a winning pair you can't help be charmed. And a little grossed out.

"Life After Beth"
Blu-ray
$24.99
Buy the DVD or Blu-ray at http://www.lionsgateshop.com/product.asp?Id=31589&TitleParentId=9961