The Civil Dead

The Civil Dead sounds like a buddy comedy on the surface, but Tatum and Thomas pull a bait-and-switch, with the film ending up much sadder than expected (while still quite funny) and even evoking elements of The Banshees of Inisherin.

Some viewers will probably find the film’s inertness with story and scale frustrating, but Tatum and Thomas’ commitment and chemistry won me over. The fact that both leads are real-life friends goes a long way, given the baggy pacing and some of the more uneven comedic moments, and Tatum’s usage of long takes helps increase the awkward tension of both characters’ forced arrangement.

Gently discursive and virtually plotless, The Civil Dead is a walking-and-talking movie that finds uncommon humor in Whit’s need to be seen and Clay’s extreme discomfort with that responsibility.

Clay Tatum’s film is wholly and refreshingly uninterested in tugging at the heartstrings.

The movie’s premise is clever; but what really makes it work is that these two use this ghost schtick as a way to examine the ways that friendship can be a hassle.