Relationships are hard, and rough patches suck. Not everybody’s cut out for each other, and those who are won’t always see eye to eye. We fight because we love, but what happens when we stop loving and keep fighting? When those times come, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better — a ripping of the band-aid, if you will. Such is the case with The Lonely Island alum Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body (2026), which premiered at SXSW last month. As an English-language remake of Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola’s 2021 dark comedic thriller The Trip (I onde dager), Taccone takes a brutally hilarious couples’ therapy session and wraps it within an unpredictably batshit action-comedy.
Laugh First, Shoot Later
Jason Segel (Shrinking) and Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) star as Dan and Lisa, two “lovers” on the brink of collapse who hatch individual plans to kill each other during a couple’s retreat. At least, until an unexpected third party enters the fold. Seldom do I come across a film that’s front-to-back unpredictable (unless you’ve seen The Trip). However, Over Your Dead Body keeps audiences on their toes throughout its tightly constructed 105-minute runtime. It’s a clear-cut case of a simple concept snowballing further away from its deceptively simple premise, which is quite fun in its own right. Add dashes of gruesome action and goofy comedy, and you’ve got a great time on your hands.
Courtesy of IFC
Jorma Taccone’s third feature film makes him the second Lonely Island member to direct a 2020s action-comedy (get going, Samberg!). To compare Over Your Dead Body to Akiva Schaffer’s The Naked Gun reboot is an apples-and-oranges affair, though. Both movies deeply rely on humor, sure. But where The Naked Gun is witty, Over Your Dead Body is flat-out clever. Penned by the BriTANicK comedy duo, Nick Kocher and Brian McElhany (who also just made their directorial debut with Pizza Movie), Over Your Dead Body is as sharp as it is thrilling, with punchlines paying off in dividends as blood splatters in all directions. It’s a textbook exercise in Chekhov’s gun(s), with marital comedy that is equally palpable and absurd.
Trouble in Paradise
From the get-go, there’s a disconcerting strain between Dan and Lisa that wafts through the screen. There’s a cyclical quality to the way Dan and Lisa berate each other: the former is a washed-up Hollywood filmmaker who directs pop-up ads, whereas the latter is a struggling theatre actress. Their dysfunctional relationship feels lived-in and authentic, as they repeatedly reprimand each other for their shortcomings in a crude, below-the-belt pissing contest. Weaving and Segel are blocked separately in each frame, creating a noticeable sense of physical distance between them. The script and direction are excellent in their own right, yet Over Your Dead Body’s charm comes from Jason Segel and Samara Weaving operating at the height of their powers.
Courtesy of IFC
As their deep-seated problems boil over into full-fledged violence, Dan and Lisa realize that their couple’s retreat isn’t as secluded as they thought. Enter Allegra (Juliette Lewis) and Pete (Timothy Olyphant), performing a pseudo-Natural Born Killers schtick alongside their third wheel, Todd (Keith Jardine). How Lewis and Olyphant enter the picture is best left unspoiled, though it’s such a well-executed twist (of which there are many) that it will leave viewers slack-jawed. Their similarly maladjusted relationship parallels Dan and Lisa’s, serving as the catalyst the couple needs to stay together, let alone survive. As the stakes rise from a marital dispute gone wrong into all-out bloodshed, Dan and Lisa must band together and fend off their unwelcome guests.
Angry (Love) Birds
Jason Segel has been a comedy icon since his turn as Nick in Freaks and Geeks, and he’s since maintained his status as a mainstay via television shows like How I Met Your Mother and movies such as 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 2009’s I Love You, Man. He brings the same comedic prowess that fans have lately seen on Shrinking to Over Your Dead Body, rising to the physical challenge of 87North-style action while dropping his signature flavor of funny faces, stellar timing, and slapstick. It’s safe to say that Segel has officially entered a new stage of his career: one that I’m absolutely sold on.
Courtesy of IFC
Samara Weaving, on the other hand, bounces back with her most exciting role since the first Ready or Not. I can’t remember the last time she used her native Australian accent in a film outside of the first five minutes of Scream VI (2023), and it adds authenticity to a performance that already feels real and organic. She counters Segel’s manchild-esque demeanor with poised swagger, while bringing a dry sense of humor to contrast his funny-guy goofiness. Furthermore, Weaving chews up BriTANick’s script like bubblegum, and it’s always fun whenever she’s wielding a shotgun.
Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace
Given that this is an 87North production (headed by Bullet Train and The Fall Guy director David Leitch and his wife, Kelly McCormick), the action in Over Your Dead Body exceeds expectations. As expected with even the lesser-tier 87North films, the action is fluid, kinetic, and oh-so brutal. Director Jorma Taccone lives up to Tommy Wirkola’s high-octane insanity from The Trip, shutting down any doubters. I suppose it helps to have The Trip’s original cinematographer, Matthew Weston, along for the ride, too. The result is not only Taccone’s most dynamic work as a filmmaker, but arguably the best of 87North’s entire catalog.
That said, this is one of those rare action movies where the screenplay and action are perfectly balanced. The domino effect can range from hilarious to tense from scene to scene, constantly switching tones without ever feeling forced or lackluster. Much of that can be attributed to the guidelines of the original narrative in The Trip, but that caveat doesn’t make Over Your Dead Body any less effective. The story unfolds nonlinearly, culminating in a wildly unpredictable finale. By the end, all the boxes are checked: over-the-top gore, laugh-out-loud humor, and excellent leading performances from the main cast.
It’s easy to see this becoming a new cult classic of sorts. Very rarely does an action comedy like this exceed at being flat-out fun and smart as hell. For all the action buffs out there looking for the next date night movie: look no further.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Over Your Dead Body hits theaters on April 24!
Directed by Jorma Taccone.
Screenplay by Nick Kocher & Brian McElhaney.
Based on the Norwegian-language film I onde dager written by Tommy Wirkola, Nick Ball, & John Niven.
Produced by Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Aram Tertzakian, Nick Spicer, Guy Danella, &
Lee Kim.
Executive Producers: Jorma Taccone, Tommy Wirkola, Timo Argillander, Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Kjetil Omberg, Jørgen Storm Rosenberg, & Andrea Scarso.
Main Cast: Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Jardine, André Eriksen, Timothy Olyphant, Ilkka Villi, Juliette Lewis, Iina Kuustonen, & Andy Cohen.
Cinematographer: Matt Weston.
Composer: Matthew Compton.
Editor: Jeremy Cohen.
Production Companies: 87North Productions & XYZ Films.
Distributor: Independent Film Company (United States) & Amazon Prime Video (International).
Runtime: 105 minutes.
Rated R.
