It is absolutely possible to make extreme violence funny. The accidental headshot in “Pulp Fiction” is one quintessential example, as is the wood chipper in “Fargo.” The tone of both films is finely calibrated, so both moments carry a sense of absurd irony. They’re unexpected, in short, which is not the case with the unrelenting sadism of “Over Your Dead Body.” By the end of this numbingly mean-spirited movie, even a plastic baggie full of fingers fails to shock, which in turn makes the moment less funny. That just leaves us with a fingerless man and the wife who hates him.
It’s true that Lisa (Samara Weaving) and Dan (Jason Segel) have long since fallen out of love by the time the film begins — they’re mutually planning to murder each other, which is as extreme as a breakup can get. But it’s also difficult to see what could have possibly brought them together in the first place. The lack of chemistry between the couple is exaggerated by Segel’s blasé performance, made all the more expressionless by Weaving’s naturally expressive face. That being said, this is not a stretch for the “Ready or Not” star: Mention the name “Samara Weaving” to a casual moviegoer, and they’ll probably imagine her with blood splattered on her face.
Weaving does little to challenge that image here, utilizing all her usual tricks as a bitter thespian who lacks the talent to land the theater role that will legitimize her as a serious actress. Dan has been following a different trajectory: Since making his first and only feature film eight years earlier, he’s fallen back into directing junk like the (very realistic) wireless commercial that opens the film. She’s resentful, he’s passive-aggressive, and both of them cannot wait to be rid of each other. This is true for the audience as well, and the only part of “Over Your Dead Body” that really works is the sequence where the leads no longer have to pretend to like each other, sparking a verbal sparring match that effectively utilizes both stars’ comedic talents.
As with graphic violence, repellent characters don’t have to be a dealbreaker in a film like this one. “Over Your Dead Body” goes wrong by pitting this hateful couple against a trio of even more dangerous and violent people, who literally crash through the ceiling into the couple’s bedroom just as Dan and Lisa’s story starts to run out of momentum. This happens early on, changing the dynamic as Dan and Lisa are forced to fight together against a suave fugitive (Timothy Olyphant), the delusional prison guard who thinks she loves him (Juliette Lewis), and their neo-Nazi enforcer (Keith Jardine), all of whom have been squatting in Dan and Lisa’s cabin after escaping from a nearby prison a few days before. (The film was actually shot in Finland, which adequately stands in for upstate New York.) There’s no one to root for here, an impression that’s underlined by the consistent lack of inferiority within the characters.
There’s one specific moment where “Over Your Dead Body” sours, turning a cheeky bloodbath into an off-putting and poorly calibrated slog. Generously, this scene could be called a “Deliverance” riff; in practice, it’s just a rape joke, and not a particularly funny one. Director Jorma Taccone got his start as a member of The Lonely Island, and his previous feature-film directing efforts have stayed within the goofy, good-natured style of comedy that made him famous. Adapted from a Norwegian-language film from director Tommy Wirkola, this movie needs a director who can smoothly shift from silly to sadistic within a single scene, and Jaccone’s broad comedic sensibilities aren’t up to the task.
The result is a movie where the jokes are just mean, and the meanness isn’t funny, leading to a cynical denouement that’s been done many times before. “Over Your Dead Body” has nothing to say about relationships, or filmmaking, or violence, although it’s a violent movie about filmmakers who are in a relationship. The stunts, particularly the hand-to-hand combat, are impressive, and although they vary in quality, there are a few effective prosthetic makeups as well.
That being said, its professional technical aspects just add to the impression that this is a glib and insincere effort, trying to graft a fun moviegoing experience onto a depressing story about hateful people reveling in each other’s pain. Again, this could be entertaining in the right hands. Here, it just feels smug.
Grade: C
“Over Your Dead Body” premiered at SXSW 2026. Independent Film Company opens the film April 24.
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