Burying the Ex (2014) User Reviews

Despite Poor Reviews, A Real Love Letter

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 5 October 2015]

A guy (Anton Yelchin)'s regrets over moving in with his girlfriend (Ashley Greene) are compounded when she dies and comes back as a zombie.

Apparently this film has largely negative reviews. That surprises me. I can understand mixed reviews, because this is definitely not Joe Dante's finest film. But where are the horror fans who appreciate all the great references? This is definitely a love letter to horror fans, the ones who are gore to the core.

Maybe the humor was a little off. I thought the sex factor was played up a bit more than it ought to have been (but I am also very prudish). And Ashley Greene was somewhat annoying (though this was how her character was scripted, so that should be a compliment). Overall, this was enjoyable and light. I can see it getting improved reviews as time goes on.

Not The Walking Dead, Nevertheless, It's Fun!

[chrismackey1972 · 6/10 · 14 May 2015]

Cute movie. I don't know why it has such a low rating.

This is not your typical zombie-type movie. It's more of a zomedy (zombie comedy :p) So, don't watch this expecting something like The Walking Dead.

The acting was good, and the writing clever. The zombie makeup was interesting. The flies flying around Greene was funny, and it was one of the things The Walking Dead never implements, but you have to figure that zombies would have a lotta flies buzzing around them.

Anton Yelchin did a good job in the lead, and Ashley Greene was the sexiest zombie you'll ever see.

In thought this would be awful, but I was very entertained. I recommend this.

Some will not like this, because they don't like zomedies, but it will be their loss.

I gave this a 6-star rating.

Lacklustre, even for its target market

[firstruleofmethclub · 4/10 · 25 August 2015]

More often than not, when I rate a film two or two and a half stars, I'm coming from a place of "Well it's not really for me, but I guess I could see why it might have appeal". Burying the Ex on the other hand comes from a place exactly opposite to that. It's like every five minutes there was something dropped precisely to cater to my interests, but there's no appeal at all. And no amount of goth bars I'd kill to have in my town, horror-themed ice cream parlours, Joe Dante directorial credits or Alexandra Daddario getting her kit off in a graveyard can make up for that.

It's not outright boring, which is certainly welcome, but it's horror that's not scary, comedy that's not funny, and bears not one but two life lessons that seem well learned until they're *both* dropped in the final scene.

I'm not going to make any "Should have stayed buried" digs, because it's really not *that* bad, but I'm not going to recommend it either.

Broad, unfunny film with a few horror film fan touches

[spencergrande6 · 3/10 · 7 July 2017]

There's like a split second where this film might be an interesting look at the dynamics of what makes relationships work or don't (I thought the film was going to present Ashley Greene's Evelyn as sympathetic), but this is not that at all. It's just a lowest common denominator type-A domineering girlfriend trying to make a man-child grow up instead of just letting him be him. Except this time the twist is that she comes back as a zombie and he still doesn't have the fortitude to tell her the truth (he would rather kill her, again).

Broad, with a few horror film fan touches, and nothing remotely approaching the level of a Joe Dante film and what that normally entails.

Worth Watching

[arfdawg-1 · 7/10 · 30 May 2015]

The Plot.

When Max (Yelchin) learns that his new live-in girlfriend, Evelyn (Greene) is controlling and manipulative, he is afraid to end the relationship.

However, fate occurs and Evelyn is killed in a freak accident.

A couple months have passed and Max meets his dream girl, Olivia (Daddario).

The new romance gets tricky when Evelyn comes back from the grave and insists on continuing their once relationship by all means.

This is NOT a train wreck in the slightest. It's easy to watch and entertaining. Not really sure why Dante never caught fire after the Gremlins. Maybe it's because his style is more suited for TV. Who knows?

This film was a good surprise. If you are a fan of really bad B horror/sci fi films like I am and like Dante is, you'll get a bonus by watching this movie.

Too be sure, it's a small film with a limited budget, but you can do a lot worse.

Overly attached dead ex-grilfriend

[quincytheodore · 5/10 · 12 July 2015]

Embracing the corny B-movie allure, Burying the Ex takes advantage of its modest yet mildly fun concept. It produces decent comedy with pop reference, fitting acting and smart script. The movie is still stuttering with odd plot development, but all things considered it's a fun popcorn flick worthy of a few giggles.

Max (Anton Yelchin) has been bothered by his shifty relationship with Evelyn (Ashley Greene). Theire personalities almost always clash, not to mention Evelyn can be incredibly volatile. Things get worse as a shady curse of some sort bind them both forever, this includes afterlife. After a tragic accident Evelyn rises from the death to fulfill her eternal love. The premise is by all means average romcom, but it is delivered with adequate conviction and wit.

Ashley Greene fully welcomes the quirky role. She's equally obnoxious as living eco-obsessed girlfriend and a creepy zombie lady. The change of tone and behavior is done realistic enough, despite the exaggerated set-up, to ensure their situation is oddly identifiable. The cast isn't large, only four main characters, and it keeps the pacing moving relatively well.

The script is done with tongue-in-cheek approach. Dialogues are occasionally cringeworthy, though most of the times they contain enough modern pop references or silly puns, audience can't help but laughing at them. Plot can be shady and a bit forced, but if audience can overlook some of these obscurities, there's mild fun to be had here.

Burying the Ex is a simple B-movie, yet it is presentably humorous in the scale it plays on.

"True love conquers all." Maybe it shouldn't.

[davidlmarks · 7/10 · 7 June 2015]

"Burying the Ex" is the soon to be released flick from director Joe Dante, who brought us the '80s classics "Gremlins" and "The Howling." This time around, we follow horror-movie-loving Max (Anton Yelchin, ie. Checkov from the "Star Trek" reboot series, but without the Russian accent), struggling to rise above the manipulative people in his life. He's working in a dead-end job in a kitschy Halloween curio shop with a demanding boss; living with his controlling girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene from "Twilight"); and dealing with his brother (I mean half-brother, a running gag) Travis (Oliver Cooper from "The Hangover III") who really just needs Max's apartment as a destination to take his booty-calls to.

An odd little statue arrives at the shop that promises to grant a wish… but because it's a "Satan-Genie" (and according to a tag attached)– it has to be granted the "evil way." Cut to the "Satan-Genie" being within earshot of a post-coital promise made between Max and Evelyn: "We will always be together… always and forever"… and the "evil-way" is set in motion.

Max's relationship with Evelyn continues to deteriorate. Evelyn freaks out at a friendly ice cream shop owner named Olivia (played by the comely Alexandra Daddario from True Detective); turns their apartment into a "green, eco-friendly zone" … and relegates (read: jams) his expensive horror movie posters into a drawer… At his wits end, Max takes the advise of brother (half-brother) Travis, and invites her to a public place to break up with her. Max chooses a dog park, which leads Evelyn to believe he has gotten her a dog, and in her enthusiasm, rushes out to meet him and is killed by a bus.

You can guess what follows. Evelyn returns from the grave, hell-bent on rekindling their relationship, and determined to keep Max away from the very-alive ice cream owner, Olivia. And she has a plan to make good on their promise to "always be together… always and forever" that Max is not too keen on.

There are some genuinely funny moments, and director Joe Dante is in great form, but comparisons to the Jeff Baena film "Life After Beth", released last year, are inevitable. Both movies involve girlfriends coming back from the grave to despondent boyfriends who have all kinds of regrets after their deaths; both girlfriends are adamant in reviving their "dead" relationships (and deflecting any interest from any potential "living" girlfriends), all the while slowly deteriorating physically and mentally into zombie-ness (and rage). And according to both films, returning from the grave makes girls super-strong and really horny.

Those are the plot similarities. Burying the Ex is a really fun movie with great directing, photography, physical special effects and outstanding acting that illustrates Dante's pedigree, delivering a far more polished film than Life After Beth. Don't let seeing Beth dissuade you from checking out Burying the Ex. It's a fun watch for those wanting to expand their zombie movie horizons.

Not bad but not particularly good either

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 9 August 2015]

Wuss (Anton Yelchin) works up the courage to break up with his girlfriend (Ashley Greene) but, before he can go through with it, she's hit by a bus and killed. Just as he is about to start a new relationship with another hottie (Alexandra Daddario), the dead girlfriend returns as a zombie.

I had a hard time liking Anton Yelchin's character. He's this wimpy hipster unmotivated guy that I doubt I could stand for five minutes in real life. Surprisingly, there's no mention of his smoking weed as there usually is with characters like this. You're slacking on your clichés, Joe Dante. He also doesn't contribute much in the humor department. That's left on Ashley Greene's shoulders. Oliver Cooper plays Yelchin's half-brother, which is itself supposed to be a joke of some kind. It's repeated throughout the movie despite never being funny. Some people have half-siblings. I don't get what's funny about that. Outside of that 'joke,' he's pretty much the Jonah Hill character. You know, the fat gross guy who is inexplicably attractive to women and whose material is something that was envelope-pushing decades ago but now seems trite. Consider yourself warned he is naked in this so don't eat while watching. As for Ashley Greene, she owns this thing. She delivers all of the movie's laughs and things just seem less interesting when she's off-screen. Sexy Alexandra Daddario is given little to work with but does fine.

I'm glad to see Joe Dante is still around and hasn't completely lost it. I mean, this is nowhere near the stuff he made in his prime, but it's better than anything John Landis has made lately. It's got a lot of the expected Dante touches (perhaps too many), such as old horror movies constantly playing in the background, a moving truck with the name Romero on it, and an amusing guest appearance from Dick Miller. It almost feels like Dante is homaging himself at this point. Aside from these touches, there really is nothing about this that stands out from a thousand other directors with less status. The movie looks as though it could have been made for television, honestly. It's a watchable horror comedy, funny in parts and gross in others. Worth a look but don't expect much.

Resurrecting

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 21 July 2015]

Not exactly of course, although this does feel like its aimed at a specific audience. Some might feel it's a bit too soft for them and that it feeds too many clichés throughout, but that would take all the fun out of it, if you'd reduce it to that. I understand that that's how some will feel (or felt) after watching this.

You missed out on a fun ride though. Yes you know where this is going, from start to finish, but it's fun to watch. Anton Yelcin seems to have a soft spot for the fantastic/light horror entertainment, which is a nice thing. Dante is an experienced director to say the least and he knows how to mix humor with some violence. It might not always work, but when it does (combined with the acting) it's funny

Nonchalant Bite

[billygoat1071 · 4/10 · 25 June 2015]

Burying the Ex sounds like a fun concept, putting the cynicism of relationships with some horror movie camp. It's quirky overall, with the combination of the monster movie tropes of its star, Anton Yelchin, and the flavor of Joe Dante's vision, this must be a perfect formula of an enjoyable zombie comedy. But surprisingly, the movie is lacking the enthusiasm it deserves. It seems like the film's only priority is just sticking to formula of a typical R rated comedy, and ends with a horror movie schlock. When it shows affections to the horror side, Burying the Ex becomes fun. But it would take a long while for the film to get there.

The film introduces itself with its main character seemingly living in misery with his girlfriend. His girlfriend apparently wants him to give up himself from being a horror movie junky, thus he struggles with her choice of choosing a lifestyle that he isn't really fond of. Then we get to meet another girl who has a better fitting personality for Max. This is meant to be something playful or somewhat, but the film's approach seems to lack real energy to make them totally entertaining. A raunchy best friend (or half brother) also exists in this story to provide a straight comic relief, but not even him could spice up these moments. When Evelyn turns into a zombie, it seems like the film doesn't earn much of a surprise. It still sticks to the quirkiness, but it's just another way to anticipate for the real payoff as we watch more of them trying hate each other, at the same time concerning the other girl and his supposedly funny half-brother.

It's only the third act where the film finds real joy from itself, even though it only lasts for a few minutes and looks pretty trashy, but this is what most of the film should have been, embracing its horror movie roots than forcing some romcom silliness. It's quite a shame because the film is scattered with potential comedy gold as well. There is a running joke about the catchphrase of Max's work that lead his costumers with amusingly bitter reactions. The film could have used more of that type of humor. The acting is surprisingly not so interesting. Anton Yelchin seems to build his own cliché as a hero who fights monsters with a hot girlfriend, but this is probably his least likable among. His Charlie Brewster had sense of adventure and humanity, while Odd Thomas had all the curiosity a monster movie needs. Here, he's basically struggling to get back to that mold, though he still spares the charisma only when the script calls him for it. Ashley Greene is trying to be freaky and cute as both human or zombie, but it never shines either way. Alexandra Daddario makes herself bubbly, maybe a little too much.

Burying the Ex should be fun. It's a simple quirky idea and yet it sticks in throwing some lazy clichés and unenthusiastic tone. Only the last few minutes where the real conflict kicks in and reveals the film's supposed true madness. If only the film focused more on that, or at least give more humor like the one that tells people to go to hell than another sex joke about half-brother having an orgy on the hero's apartment. It just wasted a cool concept for a dark comedy that could potentially bring its own personality, it's also scattered with a good taste of classic horror love, but what took over instead are the familiar and less inspired ones.

A Great Little Zombie Comedy About Breaking up With Your Ex!!!

[Pumpkin_Man · 9/10 · 8 September 2015]

This movie was much better than I expected. The right mix of a romantic comedy, and zombie flicks. Alexandra Daddario was awesome and smokin' hot as Max's love interest. Max works at a Halloween store ans has a snobby girlfriend named Evelyn. Evelyn comes into the shop one day and sees a Genie idle that looks like the devil. She wishes that she and Max will stay together forever. Soon after, she's hit by a bus and appears to be dead. Some time goes by and Max hangs out with Olivia. Evelyn comes out of the grave and lives life as if nothing has changed. Max tries to get rid of her and hide her away from Olivia. If you like quirky comedies and zombies, you'll love BURYING THE EX!!!

Don't deny it... You liked zombie Ashley Greene more than You liked the last season of The Walking Dead!

[afallguns · 7/10 · 11 July 2015]

Some might say that this movie is a waste of time, or stuff like that... Well... F**k 'em! Buring the Ex is quite good fun, not classy stuff or all the intelligent... But simple and good laughs! Anton Yelchin is one of my big favorite actors, in multiple genres, and here, besides Oliver Cooper, who basically repeated his role as the clumsy Levon in Californication, gave us really enjoyable performances, that feels familiar, making the audience bond to their characters. The only thing to say about Alexandra Daddario's part, is that even being a key role to the history, it was very shallow both in writing and performance. Now Ashley Greene was the real deal of the movie, as the crazy zombie girlfriend... Hilarious, very well written and played character, Ashley Greene made me cheer for her the whole movie... The lack of substance in miss Daddario's part may have helped it a little... But Ashley Greene made me really enjoy the movie! The zombie make up is spectacular, award worth and very well crafted! I like the jokes in the movie, most of them at least... The writing is quite intelligent, even not showing it all the time, but is quite intelligent sometimes! The special effects are one point that made wonder really hard... It is just to be laughable or is just really low budget? If is the first case, my laughs were mere embarrassment... ONE POST SCRIPTUM REALLY REALLY UNNECESSARY... With some spoiler ahead!

Evelyn is better than Olivia... IN SO MANY WAYS... That I really think that Olivia should be the one that end in the grave!

Burying the director's career further and deeper

[Coventry · 3/10 · 3 April 2018]

To label Joe Dante as one of the greatest horror/cult directors of all times would be too much honor, but admittedly he has been around for a good four decades now and inconsistently delivered a handful of mature B-movie classics as well as a batch of juvenile popcorn flicks. "Piranha", "The Howling", "Matinee" and both his "Masters of Horror" contributions are genre favorites that I personally consider as genuine classics, whereas various other titles (like "Small Soldiers", "Explorers", "The 'Burbs" and "Trapped Ashes") are categorized as interesting misfires in my book. I'm afraid that "Burying the Ex" also homes in this latter category, and the ratings as well as various other critics' reviews establish that Dante's latest movie comeback didn't result in a real hit.

For starters, and this isn't entirely Dante's fault of course, is "Burying the Ex" yet another entry in the exhausted and slowly irritable sub-genre of zombie comedies. Between 2003 (since "Shaun of the Dead") and 2014 (release year of this film) there came out far too many zombie comedies to even list, and the painful truth is that the vast majority of them aren't funny, nor horrific. I gave up on watching these, and I know for a fact that many other horror fans did the same. Heck, I probably never would have bothered to check out "Burying the Ex" if it didn't have Joe Dante's name attached to it. Secondly, and this is a completely personal objection, it's another script that makes the dreadful mistake of depicting zombies as intelligent characters, capable to communicate and function normally. Their flesh is rotting, and yet they cheerfully continue to talk, think and remember their previous lives; I hate that! Zombies are essentially brain dead, emotionless and silent killing machines. Every time a zombie opens his/her mouth to speak, the almighty George A. Romero rolls over in his grave. The plot is ultra-thin and quite stupid, by the way. A geeky horror shop clerk's exaggeratedly environmentalist girlfriend gets hit by a bus and dies, moments before a meeting that he arranged to break up with her. Due to a previously spoken vow in the presence of a gimmicky satanic device, however, she returns from the grave and remains determined to spend the rest of eternity by his side. Bummer, since he just found new and true love in the shape of a gothic, ice-cream-scooping princess.

It's probably linked to the fact that I find the screenplay utterly worthless, but suddenly all of Joe Dante's usually pleasing trademarks come across as pathetic and meaningless now. The lead characters are B-movie geeks, there are numerous references, quotes and even footage of classic horror titles throughout the entire film, but everything seem irrelevant and without any added value. Even the appearance of Dante regular and living cult monument Dick Miller feels misplaced and pitiable. At age 86, Miller shouldn't be making cameos as a police officer. There aren't really good zombie gags worth mentioning, while the make-up effects are poor and kept to a minimum. Anton Yelchin, who sadly passed away far too young, should be remembered for his role in "Green Room" instead, and even the mediocre "Fright Night" remake was better than this. I have a tremendous fondness for the ravishing actress Alexandra Daddario, but I'll gladly re-watch "Texas Chainsaw 3D", "Bereavement" or - if absolutely necessary - "Baywatch" instead of this.

A Forgettable movie.

[sauravjoshi85 · 3/10 · 2 April 2021]

Burying The Ex is zombie horror comedy movie directed by Joe Dante and stars Anton Yelchin, Alexandra Daddario, Ashley Greene and Oliver Cooper.

The movie is a horror comedy but apart from few funny one liners and mediocre acting the movie offers nothing much to be called as an entertaining movie. The director actually tried to create the cocktail of Shaun of the dead and Warm bodies and fails in creating anything.

The plot of the movie is good and had the potential to be a great and hilarious zombie comedy movie but fails and rather creates a filthy and disgusting movie in which the zombie tries to seduce his living lover by vomiting on him.

The screenplay of the movie is spilled and despite of the honest try by the makers they can't keep the movie intact.

Acting is bad to average and apart from Oliver Cooper who very slightly gives a glimpse of Nick Frost from Shaun of the dead. Ashley Greene looks irritating firstly in the role of controlling and retentive girlfriend and secondly in the role of a filthy Zombie who most of her second character is only vomiting. Alexandra Daddario looks impressive and honest and Anton Yelchin looks forced upon and unimpressive.

Climax of the movie is predictably average and doesn't excites much. Overall an average kind of movie which has the potential but sadly nothing much came out or it. A forgettable movie.

A Real Gem and Homage to Horror Fans

[Michael_Elliott · 19 June 2015]

Burying the Ex (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining mix of horror, romance and comedy as horror fan Max (Anton Yelchin) wants to get rid of his girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene) but minutes before he can do so she's killed in a tragic accident. However, due to a previous accidental wish, she ends up coming back from the dead to rekindle their love, which doesn't sit well with Max since he's moved onto Olivia (Alexandra Daddario) who shares his love of horror.

If you're a fan of director Joe Dante's work then you're really going to love this film, which is certainly a throwback to his earlier films like THE HOWLING in regards to how many winks there are to other horror movies. This film pretty much works on every level because it's funny. It's got some nice gory moments for horror fans. Even the love triangle works extremely well thanks in large part to the direction and the cast members being so great. Not to mention if you're a horror fan then you're going to get to have all sorts of cool treats including discussions about Bela Lugosi, the Halloween monster cereal and we even get clips from films like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE WIZARD OF GORE.

BURYING THE EX is a movie that will appeal to many but I think horror fans are going to get the biggest kick out of it. I'm sure a lot of people will look at the Max character and be able to relate to his love of movies, being stuck in a lifeless job and then there's the problem with the girlfriend who doesn't get him. All of this is brought to more life when he does get the girl who digs the stuff that he likes but that's when the zombie shows up to mess everything up. This is really a charming little date movie that manages to appeal to horror fans willing to add a little romance and comedy into their diet. This movie really is something truly funny and there's no question that Dante is able to mix all of these elements together into something really special.

There's no doubt that one of the biggest benefits is that the cast is so great. Yelchin has this laid back, dry approach that is just downright hilarious at times and especially during the scenes where he can grow a pair enough to tell the girl that he is done. Greene is simply divine in her performance because she's perfect at playing the annoying part but she also manages to make you feel bad for her because all she's really trying to do is keep the "romance" alive. She really makes for a memorable character. Even Daddario is excellent in her supporting role as is Oliver Cooper who plays the half brother who likes sex. Then there's the cameo by Dick Miller, which is just terrific.

BURYING THE EX works on many levels but I think its best aspect is simply its charm. All of the elements of the story work extremely well and if you're a horror fan you're going to get a kick out of them as well as the rest of the monster stuff that shows up.

Not bad, not great. Mixed bag. More drama than horror

[Finfrosk86 · 6/10 · 13 July 2015]

Horror comedy is one of my absolute favorite genres of movies. If not THE favorite. I love it. If done right the horror makes the comedy funnier, and the comedy makes the horror scarier/cooler.

Burying the ex, I'm afraid, doesn't really succeed all that well. It's not bad, not in any way, actually. It has several things going for it, but it just doesn't, uhm, never really leaps beyond just OK.

Anton Yelchin does a great job, he's a really good actor. And that really adds to the movie, had he been some other less talented guy, the movie definitely would have suffered.

Being vegan myself, I didn't love the tiny stabs at veganism and at being environmentally conscious, although I totally get what the movie is going for. I just wished they didn't use it as a bad thing. Because it's actually a good thing! (but yeah, I get that it can be annoying, especially if it's too much)

I hoped for this movie to be a lot better than I thought it was. There's some cool stuff for sure, but not quite enough. They went another direction than I hoped for. Sort of.

I hoped for more action, more gore, more horror. It's really more like a drama-comedy, with elements of horror, at least for the most part. Too much drama. Yeah.

Not Funny, Not Scary

[wrightoff · 2/10 · 12 July 2015]

This movie is described as a comedy-horror, but it's not funny and it's not scary.

All it is, is a way to waste 90mins of your life.

If you're looking for a "shawn of the dead" type movie, keep looking because you definitely didn't find one in "burying the ex".

The film is packed with clichés, and in some many cases tries too hard to be funny. The slapstick is poorly executed; The characters are poorly written, non relatable and too predictable; the plot is thin.

If you think I am being too harsh on the film, it is only because I literally just lost an hour and a half of my life and USD 10.

My personal advise is to avoid. 2/10

A decent zom rom com.

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 13 March 2019]

Firstly, I believe that zombie movies have been done to death, that the bad far outweigh the good. And secondly mixing romance, comedy and horror (zombies) successfully is a tough challenge. But legendary film director Joe Dante pulls it off with this one. But not only is it a zombie romantic comedy, it is also a great homage to horror movies, in particular the classic stuff. Good to see Dick Miller briefly as Crusty Old Cop! Nowhere near as good as say Shaun of the Dead but Burying the Ex is pretty enjoyable.

Worst. Script. EVER!

[BartSamson · 1/10 · 17 June 2018]

I love Joe Dante, I'm in love with Alexandra Daddario, and I liked Anton Yelchin in pretty much everything he did... But... What the hell is this movie?

A script that goes nowhere, not the glimmer of a surprise in the story progression, no character development to speak of. Lots of stuff hinted at, but nothing getting fleshed-out... What's worse is Dante's direction... It looked like a TV movie for crying out loud! The "Mickey Mousing" music got on my nerve in the first five minutes... Poor Dick Miller had to get off the crapper to do his usual cameo in this crapper of a movie...

Joe! What the hell, man? I was hoping for something of the same caliber of "Drag me to Hell", but I guess your style was never as broad as Raimi's... Your strength has always been nostalgia driven, and here it got lost in this bad script...

I'll go watch "Gremlins" and "Matinee" a couple of time to wash the after taste of this dud.

not that bad

[trashgang · 7/10 · 17 February 2016]

Joe Dante, the director, the man who gave us The Howling (1981) an instant classic. From there on he gave us horror with a comedy taste. Just look at Gremlins (1984) or for some Piranha (1978). This here I can classify under a horror again with a comedy feeling.

The story is rather simple and can even be called dull but somehow it do works. Stepping into a new relation, Max (Anton Yelchin) wants to make it out with his girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene). When the moment is there Evelyn dies and Max moves over to Olivia (Alexandra Daddario). After the funeral suddenly Evelyn rises from the grave. from there on you will have those awkward situations. Not that I had a great time laughing it out but the clips shown of old classic horrors and the brain eating towards the end makes it worth picking up.

An ideal flick to watch with your friends.

Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5

Dante on autopilot

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 6 August 2019]

BURYING THE EX is a disappointing outing for director Joe Dante, someone whose older films I enjoy very much indeed. This one's Dante on autopilot; it contains the usual in-jokes, references, old movies playing on television sets, Dick Miller cameos and the like, but the main material is cookie-cutter dumb and there's no real love for the material. It's another teen-style comedy that strives to make fun out of the whole zombie premise, and it simply isn't very successful.

I can only blame the writer for creating such a cast of self-absorbed slackers, from Anton Yelchin's tiresome lead to Alexandra Daddario's airhead love interest and the guy playing the annoying half-brother. The less said about Ashley Greene's overacting the better; let's just say it grates after a few moments. Elsewhere, this is full of the usual dumb, unfunny jokes, gross-out humour and join-the-dots plotting. Dante deserves better.

Joe Dante brings us another macabre charmer

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 8/10 · 13 September 2016]

Everyone has that one psycho ex. Well... not everyone. But a lot of folks. I do, many do, enough do for there to be a whole lot of movies on the subject. Joe Dante's Burying The Ex takes that predicament one step farther, straight into the realm of the supernatural, as the director always does. We haven't had a Dante flick in a while (he's the genius behind Gremlins, Innerspace and Small Soldiers, for those who don't know), and it amazes me the lack of marketing which led to me taking my sweet time in seeing this. Glad I did, because it's a treat. Any headline that boasts Dante, Ashley Greene, Anton Yelchin and the luscious Alexandra Daddario in the same film is automatically a rental, before I've even read a synopsis. This one is a darkly comic zombie romantic comedy and subtle Hammer Studios homage, an irresistible flavour indeed. Yelchin is a lad who works at a halloween FX store, has an affinity for retro horror and all things macabre, and is dating prissy Ashley Greene, who couldn't be more different than him. She's an abrasive, vegan type A personality jealous manipulative control freak banshee who is sinking their relationship quicker than the Titanic. Enter Alexandra Daddario, a hip, horror movie themed ice cream parlor owner, and sparks fly between her and Yelchin. Those sparks are shot down by a dagger glare from Greene, and it's in that moment Yelchin realizes he has to dump her. Before he can do the deed, she's fatally hit by a bus, dies and essentially solves his problem. Or does she? Cue Gothic organ music. Before he can take Alexandra on one date, she rises from the grave, now a sex starved psycho zombie bitch hell bent on keeping him for her own, pretty much forever. Quite the situation eh? Dante is never one for metaphors and heady trickery (a refreshing trait), all of his premises are straight up, face value, 100% genre simplicity. She's dead, he needs to somehow kill her... again. It's charming and lighthearted, while still retaining the macabre, like Tim Burton by way of Stephen Sommers. Greene is disarmingly hilarious as everyone's worst nightmare of an ex, Yelchin is earnest and exasperated in equal doses, and Daddario is a babe and a half, always winning me over with them eyes. They all frolic in Dante's casually R rated inter zone where everything is purely rooted in movie-land, and nothing needs to be seriously thought out. The writing is sharp, heartfelt and riddled with easter eggs for fans of horror from back in a better day. Brilliant stuff.

if you have nothing else to do

[stermix501 · 6/10 · 25 July 2015]

After reading some bad reviews I was ready to drop this movie. However it was late to search anything else of just 1h30 min, so I gave it a go with my hand on the remote ready to press stop.

It wasn't too bad. I let the remote aside and grabbed a pizza. The story is a copy paste of "Life after Beth" at a point I am surprised there is no legal claims there. Anyhow this one is slightly more colorful has better filming and acting, together with eye-candies in the... eyes of Dadario. That, takes the film to a teen-romantic-comedy style where you might wonder why no such blue eyes ever stalked you when you separated.

My gf and I enjoyed it overall, but Joe Dante has lost his magic.

I mean...it's not the WORST movie ever.

[ryryguy-62146 · 3/10 · 14 June 2018]

Personally, this movie could have been better. I went in with high expectations, which made it more of a disappointment. So, basically, Max (Anton Yelchin) is now dating this girl that he just moved in with, Evelyn (Ashley Greene). The relationship is dysfunctional, and so Max seeks help from his half-brother, Travis (Oliver Cooper), to break up with her. She dies, and when Max starts dating a new girl, Olivia (Alexandra Daddario), Evelyn comes back from the grave and still wants to date him.

That's the gist of it. It's supposedly a comedy horror, but it doesn't really succeed at either of those. We'll talk about the horror first. It's not scary. It's not Gorey, either. There's one scene that has a lot of gore, and could be considered scary, but even THAT was tame. There are a lot of references sprinkled throughout for true horror lovers, but that's really it.

The comedy was...terrible. Hardly any of the jokes were actually funny, and only a few were chuckle worthy purely for the shock value. It's continuously thrown in our faces that Travis is Max's half brother, and just that fact seems to be the joke, but like, it held nothing to the plot at all. I'm pretty sure they only did that to make one lame joke at the very beginning. Ashley Greene's character is the only slightly funny thing in this movie, and even then, she fails. Basically the joke is "Ohh look! I'm DED and I want to have SEX with u!!11 Sex is hilarious, right?" And, that's about as far as the humor goes. They kept trying to push Max into these awkward situations, but I couldn't laugh about it at all, cause I didn't care about him. All of the characters are boring, cliches with even less depth than a peice of paper. Travis is the slob who thinks sex is funny, Max is a spineless, timid, pathetic human being, etc

The acting isn't the best either. Not the worst ever, but I was cringing pretty bad at a few parts. However, for the type of movie this is, the effects were actually pretty good.

I don't want to go on forever, so that's all I'll be saying about it. It's not the worst move I've ever seen, but it's not the best either. There was definately room for improvement. It was entertaining enough, and I did chuckle a few times, even if it was from the effects or the attempts at humor. If you have nothing else to watch, I'd recommend maybe giving this a shot, but don't expect anything phenomenal.

Did Joe Dante really direct this?

[kensai-5 · 3/10 · 26 December 2020]

I find it very hard to believe that Joe Dante was the director. It rather looks like work done by an amateur. The film is tone-deaf in all respects and I'm not the first to point out that it has the feel of being made for TV...by students. I'd recommend avoiding this. Nothing worthwhile to see, except how *not* to make a movie.