Darby and the Dead (2022)

December 9, 2022 10:35 AM

After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (Riele Downs) gains the ability to see dead people. As a result, she becomes introverted and shut off from her high school peers and prefers to spend time counseling lonely spirits who have unfinished business on earth. But all that changes when Capri (Auli'i Cravalho), the Queen Bee of the school's most exclusive clique, unexpectedly dies in a freak hair straightening accident, resulting in the obvious cancellation of her upcoming "Sweet 17." Capri, however, pleads with Darby from the other side to intervene and convince Capri's friends to proceed with the party as planned. In order to appease the wrath of the undead diva, Darby must emerge from her self-imposed exile and reinvent herself -- which along the way allows her to find new joy back in the land of the living.

Directed by Silas Howard. Written by Becca Greene.

57% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

A Hulu original.

posted by DirtyOldTown (3 comments total)

Just watched last night because they are removing it from Hulu today. The director, Silas Howard (who has directed episodes of Transparent and Pose), posted about it on Facebook.

It starts in a pretty dark place with a drowning, but after that the ghosts she sees are treated pretty lightly. My husband ribbed me a bit for being someone who's still watching basically a teen comedy at my age, but I did find it funny and engaging and well-acted. Too bad it's leaving Hulu and will basically become unavailable in our post-physical media world. Can't even VCR things anymore.
posted by larrybob at 9:20 AM on May 26, 2023

You'd think the fact that one of the main characters is played by the voice actor of Moana would have given it some traction.
posted by larrybob at 9:21 AM on May 26, 2023

Had to LOL at Jude Dry of Indiewire's sum-up line: "“Darby and the Dead” is light as a feather, stiff as a board."
posted by larrybob at 9:23 AM on May 26, 2023