A delightful premise never fully comes to life in this sweet romcom, which is a real shame because it gets off to such a strong start.
At a party to celebrate his impending grandchild’s gender reveal, elderly Larry chokes on a pretzel and dies. He suddenly finds himself in the afterlife, 50 years younger (in the shape of Miles Teller), and quite confused that ‘Heaven’ is like a big airport, where those who’ve recently popped their clogs are trying to decide where they want to spend eternity, with the help of an Afterlife Coordinator (Larry’s is played by The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randoph).
Will they go for Paris World, Cowboy World, Studio 54 World, or for some reason, Smokers’ World? Before Larry can figure out where to travel, his wife Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) dies of cancer and joins him in the terminal. So now they can spend their death together…or they could, if it weren’t for the presence of Joan’s first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who she hasn’t seen since he died in the Korean War. Does she stick with the man she grew old with or see what might have been if Luke hadn’t been taken from her?
Lots to work with there, and director David Freyne gets plenty from it early on. The set-up is brisk and clear, so everyone’s dead and not loving it within about 20 minutes. Joan is torn between the familiar and the idealised. Larry is confused about how to seduce a woman he’s known for decades. Luke is feeling the pressure of being the perfect guy. It’s sparky, silly and sweetly awkward. After a little while, though, it seems unsure of where to go.
It’s cute enough but the potential is never really fulfilled
For a romcom to really work, especially when it’s a love triangle, you need to care deeply about all sides. You have to be rooting for love. As charming as all the leads are, it doesn’t seem vital that any of them stick with each other. It might be better if they don’t. The actors also feel like they’re all in slightly different movies: Olsen’s is the most appealing, as she plays Joan like a heroine from an old screwball comedy; Turner’s in a straighter romcom; Teller’s in a Pixar film. The vibe is just the tiniest bit off.
It’s all cute enough and certainly so inoffensive that there’s nothing to actively dislike, so it’s a pity its potential is never really fulfilled. We see very little of the dead actually going to the worlds advertised to them (we only visit ‘Mountain’ and ‘Beach’ – two bland, but budget-friendly, choices). It’s largely played out in the holding area. And that’s a bit how this movie feels. The journey can be part of the fun, but you don’t go on holiday to experience the airport. You hope to end up somewhere amazing.
In UK and Ireland cinemas Fri Dec 5.