Darby and the Dead
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Darby and the Dead
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Darby and the Dead is a high school-set story about a young woman (Riele Down) who can see dead people. The story involves death and grieving. The main character has a near-death accident that kills her mother, and a school nemesis accidentally electrocutes herself and dies on school premises. High schoolers tease and bully each other, but the main lesson is that popularity, appearances, and cliques matter less than kindness, being true to yourself, and maintaining real relationships. Teens kiss and flirt. There's discussion of which emojis represent "penises," "vaginas," and "butts." Language includes "s--t," "bulls--t," "ass," "damn," "goddamnit," "hell," "bitch," "sucks," stand-ins for "f--k," and mild insults. Teens drink at a party, and there's a drug reference. The film's main characters are Black, native Hawaiian, Chinese, and White. One cheerleader is transgender, as is the film's director.
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What's the Story?
In DARBY AND THE DEAD, high schooler Darby (Riele Downs) is able to see dead people after surviving a near-death accident in childhood that killed her mother (Kim Syster) and left her living alone with her grieving father (Derek Luke). Darby parlays her unique skill into a small business helping dead people stuck in limbo convey messages to loved ones and move on to the afterworld. But her abilities also make her a social outcast. She spends her lunch hour at school playing chess with a dead janitor (Tony Danza), and she has no friends. When a freak accident kills Capri (Auli'I Cravalho), a former friend of Darby's and the most popular girl at school, she pushes Darby into helping her with a formidable send-off. The help will also mean Capri must transform Darby into a version of herself -- a popular, stylish cheerleader. The process brings Darby and Capri close again and prompts the two to learn about themselves and each other.
Is It Any Good?
This film features a cast of promising young actors, but it lacks originality and falls into the trap of many high school movies that portray teens as superficial products of worn-out clichés. Darby and the Dead, like others before it, wants it both ways -- to build a story around the hegemony and parameters of high school cliques while also critiquing them as shallow and meaningless. Throwing in a final act where characters from different social strata confess their mutual insecurities and find a middle ground doesn't reverse the fact that the film's premise is built on the same tired hierarchy and portrayals.
For example, Capri coaches Darby not just on looking and acting the part of high school queen bee but also marketing the brand on social media. She praises her for "becoming a real person" when she gains more than 700 followers on Instagram and admonishes her for posting a "bikini selfie" without photoshopping or Facetuning it first. We're meant to understand both the silliness of this worldview and its basis in reality, which is a subtle moral message that this film, and so many others, fails to successfully land. Viewers may also feel they've seen it all before, from the haughty high schooler who breaks the fourth wall (Honor Society), to the popularity-provoking glow-up (He's All That, Do Revenge), to the dead-before-their-time storyline (Afterlife of the Party, The In Between).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Darby uses her powers for good in Darby and the Dead. What were the motivations of some of the "stayers" and "in-betweeners"?
What do Darby and Capri learn from each other?
What other high school-set films have you seen where a student undergoes a transformation that changes their social status? How do these stories usually end?
In your experience, does this film offer a realistic portrayal of high school life? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: December 2, 2022
- Cast: Riele Downs, Auli'i Cravalho, Chosen Jacobs
- Director: Silas Howard
- Studio: Hulu
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship, High School, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: strong language, suggestive material and some teen partying
- Last updated: January 17, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
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Do Revenge
Teens seek payback in dark comedy; language, sex, drugs.
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Senior Year
High school comedy has language, innuendo, drinking.
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Not Okay
Online celebrity satire has mature themes, language.
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The In Between
Love, loss, and language in tragic teen romance.
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He's All That
Remake of '90s romcom has language and bullying.
For kids who love high school tales
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