Burying the Ex Synopsis: Before horror enthusiast Max can break things off with his girlfriend Evelyn she dies in a bus accident. In time, Max meets another woman only to have Evelyn resurface as a zombie ready to resume their relationship.
Just before Max (Anton Yelchin) plans to break-up with his girlfriend, Evelyn (Ashley Greene), she’s tragically hit by a bus and dies. As he’s grieving, Max connects with Olivia (Alexandra Daddario), an ice cream shop owner with who he shares many of the same interests. As the two begin to date, Evelyn crawls out of her grave as a zombie and re-enters Max’s life, assuming the two are to be together forever.
It’s always a little bittersweet to see Anton Yelchin on screen. He was a true talent who passed away far too soon. That said, I feel like his talent was wasted on this movie. One would think a zombie movie from Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) would be a home run, but alas, Burying the Ex falls short of those high expectations.
Max, Evelyn, and Olivia come across as stock characters with very little depth, making it difficult to root for any of them – or, in Evelyn’s case, be frightened of her. Our introduction to Olivia is when she’s dancing to hard rock in her unusual horror-themed malt shop, adorably embarrassed to be seen by Max and Evelyn when they venture inside. So yes, now we know she’s quirky and Not Like Other Girls.
Evelyn is jealous, controlling, and obsessed with environmental sustainability, while Max is just a pushover who resorts to taking advice from his slacker half-brother Travis when he decides to end it with Evelyn instead of just handling it like an adult.
Evelyn’s return from the grave isn’t necessarily scary, as it is odd. She’s relentlessly horny and focuses on renewing her relationship with Max. Max wants to continue dating Olivia and tries to balance that new relationship with Evelyn’s return. Max is apparently a horror aficionado, but he seemingly has no idea how to get rid of Evelyn, who is – hello! – undead. He can’t bring himself to off Evelyn permanently, but I guess, even in fiction, there’s a big difference between loving horror and having to live it.
Evelyn is essentially stuck within Max’s apartment and is no real threat to anyone until that craving for brains kicks in, which I think happens far too late in the movie. She could have been a terrifying zombie ex for Max to contend with, but instead, she’s pretty tame until the film’s end. Ashley Greene is really able to shine in the last twenty-five minutes when she starts to act like an actual zombie rather than just an undead girlfriend wanting to please her boyfriend.
On the romantic aspect of Burying the Ex, Yelchin and Daddario have an easygoing chemistry onscreen, and they do share some cute scenes together. I appreciated Dante’s decision to intercut Olivia and Max’s first night spent together with Evelyn’s sudden craving for brains while in the company of Travis. It’s super bloody, intense, and, sadly, the best part of Burying the Ex.
While watching Burying the Ex, I could see a lot of potential in its premise. Perhaps with a tighter script, Joe Dante could have elevated the material to the heights of his previous monster flicks. As it is, Burying the Ex is just a lifeless zombie movie where everyone seems to be going through the motions.
Watched: 10/10/2024
Notable Song: Song for Zula by Phosphorescent
