Here After Review- A Charming Supernatural Rom-Com Elevated By Nora Arnezeder And Andy Karl

Here After is a delightfully daffy mash up of notions that comes together in an expected but still pleasing concept of love and the afterlife.

For those who like a little romance alongside their fantasy, Here After by writer/director Harry Greenberger is a saccharine sweet ideal of love in the great beyond. The quirky film is heavy on courtship and characters and lite on mythology. At over two hours, that is a good thing. However, some things are best left mysterious, and the hows and whys of what comes next are one of those things.

Michael played pleasantly entertaining by Broadway’s Andy Karl, is a loveable loser who dies days before his big break. The unlucky fella was dumped by his girlfriend, who would rather get loaded at an airport bar than fly home with him to visit his family. The forty-something actor who can play thirty(just ask him) finally has some career success to point to when he is hit by a truck leaving the airport and his ex-girlfriend behind. Following his death, he finds himself in a limbo of sorts where all non-coupled souls go to drift out their eternities waiting for their soulmate. Only paired soulmates can ascend to that other place that the film is careful never to name.

Beaurocratic grim reaper Christina Ricci delivers the bad news and enigmatically informs him of his situation. Find your soulmate or be left behind forever. How he is supposed to do that is up to him. For a guy who clearly hasn’t had good luck with love, this is a daunting task. After wandering aimlessly, trying to bad line his way through too many non-plussed potential suitors, he meets ridiculously named Honey Bee(Nora Arnezeder) who may be exactly what he has been waiting for his whole life and death. The problem is she isn’t dead. She just sees dead people. What’s the recently undead supposed to do when his soulmate is someone very much alive?

Worldbuilding is unimportant as the setting is present-day New York, just with ghosts that most of the living can’t see. The only differences are TV’s that only play static(the horror) and alcohol and books are the only physical things that spirits can interact with. No one eats or drinks; you can’t feel anything, but you can get full-on lit. Also, the dating rules are far more complex than in the living world. Fuck bois are not only not tolerated, but they are impossible here. In Purgatory, you have to actually be interesting and dive deep. It’s paranormal Bachelor In Paradise with booze and perfectly timed fireworks, but no one wants to hear you wax on dishonestly about how you’re looking for a real connection.

Broadway star Andy Karl makes the most of Greenberger’s script. He is able to deliver lines like, “Women love men who fish around in their pockets and talk to themselves,” with a boyish grin. As Michael, he is a charming presence on camera that has an easy likability that allows you to overlook some of his less attractive qualities. Unfortunately, there are many of them, including some casual misogyny, cluelessness, and deplorable taste in friends. In fact, there are moments when Michael can’t seem to remember he is the star of a love story. He describes what he thinks love is as the faraway tingling feeling you get when a girl is thinking about you. Never mind how juvenile and self-centered that sounds, Karl manages to crooked grin his way through these truly cringeworthy moments. Greenberger struggles to develop Michael as anything other than a pleasant enough douche bag.

Arnezeder’s Honey Bee, on the other hand, is less overt in her absurdity despite the fact that she sees ghosts and is named after an insect. She is a more authentic character that feels as if she could be anyone’s friend or girlfriend. Partly based on actor choices and partly writing, Honey Bee is the recipient of more complementary treatment. She is a relatable oddball that is the kind of girl you could be friends with or want to date.

Greenberger’s film suffers from some pacing and editing issues throughout that are helped by Arnezeder and Karl’s performances. Here After is about thirty minutes too long and it takes a full hour before we meet Honey Bee, which is a shame as once we finally do, the film takes off. Arnezeder and Karl have a natural chemistry that I would have liked to see more of.

Humor sits squarely on Karl’s shoulders, with the exception of a poorly conceived friend Angelo played gamely by Kick Ass’ Michael Rispoli. He seems to serve no purpose other than making Michael look good by comparison. Some gags between the two feel less funny and more exploitive than necessary. An entire bit set in a women’s locker room is tone deaf for a post #MeToo era. Those plot beats do nothing to advance the story and would have been better served left on the cutting room floor.

Here After is a little like a less bizarre and fascist The Lobster. It’s also less depressing than the bleakly poetic Nic Cage and Meg Ryan vehicle City Of Angels. About the only good thing in that film is Cage and Ryan’s charm and The Goo Goo Dolls hit Iris. Here After could be romantic or annoying depending on your point of view. As a compromise for a horror fan and rom-com fan, it is perfect. You will see the ending coming, but it doesn’t make it any less satisfying. For gateway genre fare, Here After hits a lot of marks. Here After is available in select theaters and VOD right now.