Movie Review: ‘Here After’

Review by James Lindorf

Writer and director Harry Greenberger explores the afterlife and the importance of love in his newest film, “Here After.” The unrated movie has a runtime of 121 minutes. It stars Christina Ricci, Andy Karl, Nora Arnezeder, Jackie Cruz, and Michael Rispoli. “Here After” features Debbie Harry’s new original song “Mysteries of Life” that you can hear when Vertical Entertainment releases “Here After” On Demand everywhere on July 23rd, 2021.

Michael (Andy Karl) is a struggling actor on his way to a much-needed vacation with his girlfriend. While sitting at the airport minutes before boarding, she drops the bomb that she can’t keep doing this and breaks up with him on the spot. Depressed and distracted on his way home, Michael dies in a car accident. When he awakens in the afterlife, Michael is neither in heaven or hell; instead, he is in the previously unheard-of Singles Purgatory. With an unknown amount of time, Michael now has one task: finding his soul mate and crossing over to the other side or fading away into nothingness for eternity. Michael must navigate the new customs of a ghostly dating life among other recently deceased single New Yorkers. After a series of false starts, Michael finally may have met the one; there is just one problem, she’s alive. Why can he see him, how can they make it work, and will they be able to cross over together, or will he fade away waiting for her.

“Here After” has a sweet premise about finding someone you can love completely and makes you a better person. Michael is jaded about relationships when we first meet him and his arc to become less of a misogynist and learn to appreciate a woman as his partner. Sweet intentions are great, but a premise alone is not enough, and the elements that support that structure are far too weak, and the movie caves under its own weight. There are two bright spots in the film. One is Christina Ricci as Scarlett, the head of Purgatory. The other is Nora Arnezeder as the romantic lead Honey Bee. Ricci brings a comfortable air of familiarity. Her acting skills help you buy into this world Michael has been thrust into. It is ironic that “Here After” is a story about dead people because the film itself lacks most signs of life. It unenthusiastically moves from scene to scene from crass humor to cheap melodrama. The movie finally comes to life when Michael meets Honey Bee. Nora makes Andy a better actor. Her frivolity and whimsical nature as Honey Bee is a light in the darkness that is the rest of the film.

“Here After” is the best a 2 out of 5 movie can be. It is well shot and even good-looking from time to time, but it doesn’t do anything else especially well. The weakness is in the script. Sometimes it is too coarse for the rest of the story, a little mean to women in a Coming to America style dating scene, and falls just short of being genuinely emotional in its climax. You do feel something between Michael and Honey Bee, but it never seems to reach the peak of eternal soulmates. “Here After” is reasonably entertaining, mostly inoffensive, and entirely forgettable.

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Original Language: English
Director: Harry Greenberger
Producer: Carmine Famiglietti, Harry Greenberger
Writer: Harry Greenberger
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2021
Runtime: 1h 58m
Production Co: Dayenu Films