My Dead Boyfriend

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

5

Courtesy of MemeCrunch

Plot: Mary has a tough life. The same day Mary got fired she finds her boyfriend dead in her apartment. When Mary goes to an art museum and brings up her dead boyfriend, Primo, she gets the attention of the museum owner who states he was an excellent artist and fantastic person. This surprises Mary as it took her almost 20 minutes to even figure out her dead-beat boyfriend was actually dead. Throughout Mary trying to figure out what to do with his possessions and body, she keeps finding out things about Primo. My Dead Boyfriend has a lot of twists in the end but a good end. Overall, this movie has a great idea but I think Mary's character was so unlikable for the reason that she was so lazy or unwilling to talk about things. For instance, she tries to get a roommate but refuses to show them around the apartment. She tries to talk to one of of Primo's ex-girlfriends but keeps hanging up the phone when she answers. I would say you can give this movie a try but don't expect it to be your favorite movie. This is based on the book Dog Run by Arthur Nersesian. 

Characters/Actors of Note:

Heather Graham playing Mary McCrawley: This character had all the makings of someone we could relate to and like. She is poor, she was in a bad relationship, and she is sticking to cruddy choices because she thinks that is all she is worth. We've all been there. What isn't likable about her is that she seems to rarely listen to people, is lazy, and enjoys self-pity. Her motivations are confusing too. She wants to know more about Primo and seems to research him endlessly, but when it comes time to talk about Primo to other people she will act as if she isn't interested by his life or is annoyed by it. So why exactly is she doing it? Miss Graham plays Mary one-dimensional and I don't know if that is her fault or the fault of the script. 

Katherine Moennig playing Zoe: Zoe is supposedly Mary's best friend. They tried to start a band together but failed and they both complain about their issues. When it comes to Primo, Zoe seems aloof. This character could have been a kind supportive character but Mary talks about how she is afraid Zoe will be mad at her often and in the end we find out something nasty that Zoe did to Mary. I wish there could have been one good relationship in this film and they missed out with this character. 

Music: This is an indie movie so you can guess all the music is indie. Indie rock to be precise which if you like that, good for you. If you are like me, you don't. In fact, I find it grating after a while and the indie music lasted the entire film. Mary joins two indie rock groups and so it makes sense to the plot but it just isn't my cup of tea. 

Camera Work/Cinematography: Where to begin with this? At the start of the film we see Mary walking around with cartoons that appear around her when she is walking home. You find out later they are cartoons she has drawn herself as an attempt to be an artist. However, after the first ten minutes they are never seen from again. I was expecting they could be like non-speaking narrators or companions for Mary but they literally disappear. We see Mary's active imagination whenever she finds out something new about Primo. When she finds out that Primo was a part of theatre, she imagines him on stage singing and dancing. I did like the idea of this but they seem to pick and choose when she imagines things. Since this is an indie film, the cinematography isn't great. The film consists of mostly close-ups and a basic color scheme. It's a bleh look. 

RECAP:

The story is unique but not well written. The characters have potential but not well written. The music is fine if you like indie but can be suffocating if you don't like indie rock. The camera work is basic and hardly varied and the cinematography is touch and go. Watch for the interesting idea but don't be heart broken if you miss out. 

Courtesy if IMDB

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