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Parents' Guide to

After.Life

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Confusing chiller explores death; too dark for teens.

Movie R 2010 95 minutes
After.Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 7 parent reviews

kim12
kim12 Adult
August 28, 2020
age 18+

Confusing

I think is just a bad idea to watch, I don't recommended because you will get mad. you would feel lost like why? you would have a lot of questions...and also think why they didn't analyze the situation more. like they weren't smart to make the right choice.. I just don't recommend but in your own risk see it, and see what happens.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Juan S.
Juan S. Adult
March 30, 2017
age 13+

Not good enough

Upon the start of the movie it seemed to be promising, however, I unbeknownst to me I would soon be sadly dissatisfied and even angry watching something which had so much potential fall flat. Ms. Ricci should have past on this. Her character became so annoying and weak that I wanted her to die. The movie had a little suspense but, not good suspense to keep you on the edge. What a real disappointment. I hope a real good writer look at this movie and create something worth watching from it. Not another suspense movie with a naive stupid Caucasian girl who don't know how to think.
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Schoolteacher Anna (Christina Ricci) isn't very happy. She pops pills and doesn't seem to get along with her boyfriend Paul (Justin Long). Just as he is about to propose to her, they fight, and she drives off in a rainstorm. She wakes up on a slab in a funeral home, where a soft-spoken funeral director, Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson), informs her that she's dead. Eliot claims to have a "gift" that allows him to speak to dead people, but Anna doesn't know what to believe. Paul seems to think that Anna is still really alive and that Eliot has some kind of fiendish plan afoot. As Paul tries to unravel the mystery, Anna gets more and more confused, and so does the audience...

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (6 ):

Despite the appealing cast, an interesting ambiance, and some very ambitious subject matter, AFTER.LIFE doesn't really work either as a scary movie or as a food-for-thought cautionary tale. It's dreary and depressing, with a relentlessly negative, almost angry tone. The movie's message about finding a point to life is both overly simplistic and frustratingly muddled. And those looking for scares will find the movie lacking too -- when the infrequent scary parts pop up, they don't pack much of a punch.

Moreover, the movie has the feel of something that could be a wonderful Sixth Sense-like puzzle, but refuses to make anything clear or satisfying. With an ambigious ending, viewers might end up wondering, "What's the point?" For horror fans looking for something meatier than the usual fare, After.Life gives them something to chew on, but ultimately, it might leave a bad taste.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether the movie was scary or not. Can psychological thrillers sometimes be scarier than outright violent horror movies? Why? What different elements make a movie scary? How do you deal with feeing scared from movies or TV -- does it ever effect you after the movie or show is over?

  • Did Paul and Anna really love each other? If not, was that the reason they went through their ordeals?

Movie Details

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