My Dead Friend Zoe: reviews

What the critics say average 7.6 from 40 outlets

• 10 Film ThreatJason Delgado To be able to understand these universal experiences on a deeper level because of this film is a true gift. Even if you don’t have a Zoe, just know that you’re never truly alone. Read
• 10 CBRJoshua M. Patton My Dead Friend Zoe will raise awareness among civilians about the realities of the veteran experience. But, if we're all really lucky, its representational qualities, bolstered by Green's performance, will actually save some lives. Read
• 10 InSession FilmZach Youngs My Dead Friend Zoe is a terrifically funny and very thought provoking film. It isn’t one that will leave you easily and you won’t want it to. Read
• 9.1 Original-CinJohn Kirk A semi-autobiographical and powerfully moving story by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, My Dead Friend Zoe is inaccurately described as a “dark comedy” or as a “buddy film”. Read
• 9.1 Movie MomNell Minow Sonequa Martin-Green gives an exquisite, unforgettable performance in a story of love, grief, memory, and healing, “My Dead Friend Zoe.” Read
• 9.0 ColliderMatt Donato My Dead Friend Zoe opens wounds and douses them in peroxide — the immediate sensation stings, but eventually cleanses and soothes. Read
• 9.0 The Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz Hausmann-Stokes won’t let the film get sappy; Martin-Green and Harris ensure it. Instead, it’s an unflinching look at a health crisis, a film that arrives at what it’s trying to say through unconventional means, and is all the more effective for it. Read
• 9.0 Solzy at the MoviesDanielle Solzman My Dead Friend Zoe is more than a buddy film—it tells a compelling story and serves as a reminder that veterans do not need to face their battles alone. Read
• 8.8 Chicago Sun-TimesRichard Roeper Some of the resolutions of this myriad of conflicts and issues are perhaps a bit too tidy, but this is a richly layered and truly moving set piece, with a smart and insightful screenplay and great performances from the ensemble cast. Read
• 8.8 Roger EbertChristy Lemire This is a persuasive piece of advocacy filmmaking, tucked inside a playful and profane comedy about female friendship. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Read
• 8.8 The Mercury NewsRandy Myers “My Dead Friend Zoe” throws a plot curveball near the finale and it readjusts what we’ve seen before. Read
• 8.0 VarietyPeter Debruge Hausmann-Stokes’ message is simple, and his movie is a perfect place to start: Take an interest in our veterans. Read
• 8.0 Radio TimesJayne Nelson Despite its eye-catching title, don't expect zombies - this is actually a sensitive depiction of friendship, loss and post-traumatic stress disorder. Read
• 8.0 Should I See ItMichael Ward The longer it goes, and the more patient you are watching it, the emotional elements of the story take hold and are hard to dismiss. Read
• 8.0 The Saturday Evening PostBill Newcott A comedy at heart, My Dead Friend Zoe blesses its characters with a happy ending while acknowledging the traumatized lives — and tragic post-deployment deaths — of too many American veterans. Read
• 8.0 Common Sense MediaJeffrey M. Anderson This high-concept, diverse dramedy draws familiar elements from many Hollywood movies, but it ties them together in a way that feels genuinely emotional and often genuinely funny. Read
• 8.0 Roger EbertBrian Tallerico A deeply personal film that comes from Hausmann-Stokes’ own experience as a vet, this is a powerful drama with a phenomenal performance at its core and another reminder that Ed Harris is one of our best living actors in its supporting cast. Read
• 8.0 DeadlineValerie Complex The film’s focus on characters of color and the community that forms around those most affected by trauma are the script’s most powerful assets. Read
• 8.0 The Austin ChronicleMadeline Duncan While the focus of the film is on veterans, the core of the film is accessible to all viewers: We all suffer losses, but we don’t have to suffer alone. Read
• 7.8 The Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones Inspired by writer-director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ own experiences in the Army, including combat in Iraq, My Dead Friend Zoe tackles PTSD head-on with humor and empathy. Read
• 7.5 IndiewireProma Khosla It’s a visceral look at the veteran experience and the kinds of loss we can’t easily describe or process, and the isolation that comes with that. Read
• 7.5 San Francisco ChronicleBob Strauss Fundamentally, though, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a tricky story told exceedingly well. It earns our attention — and a few salutes. Read
• 7.5 Movie NationRoger Moore Perhaps only an Iraq War combat vet would dare to tackle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with the sort of sarcasm and gallows humor of “My Dead Friend Zoe.” Read
• 7.5 Associated PressJake Coyle The movie’s earnestness carries it through these less smooth moments. So does the cast. Any opportunity to see Freeman or Harris, still at the top of their games, is a chance to be treasured. Read
• 7.5 The Washington PostTy Burr “My Dead Friend Zoe” is straightforward as filmmaking and it’s fairly obvious as therapy, but it comes from a place of deep respect and deeper love, and everyone here honors that. Read
• 7.5 ABC NewsPeter Travers There are rowdy laughs to be had, but there's no way you can laugh off the film's core of hurt. Read
• 7.5 The Film FrenzyMatt Brunson Given that title, one would be forgiven for believing My Dead Friend Zoe was one of those ‘80s horror comedies like My Demon Lover and My Mom’s a Werewolf. On the contrary, this is a sturdy seriocomedy — in the final analysis more serious than comedic — inspired by the experiences of writer-director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes when he served as a paratrooper during the Iraq War. Read
• 7.0 New York TimesAlissa Wilkinson Most of the filmmaking in “My Dead Friend Zoe” feels workmanlike, proficient and straightforward in its storytelling — a promising feature debut for Hausmann-Stokes. Read
• 7.0 InBetweenDraftsJon Winkler The talented cast also goes a long way to make the movie heartfelt without being saccharine. Read
• 7.0 Splice TodayNoah Berlatsky The film’s a sensitive and affecting entry in the genre of films about war’s aftermath and the lingering effects of PTSD. Read
• 7.0 MacGuffin or MeaningAlise Chaffins My Dead Friend Zoe is a reminder for both those who have not served and those who have, that those wounds don’t heal without putting in the work. And that work is just as honorable as anything else you can do. Read
• 7.0 Willamette WeekMorgan Shaunette My Dead Friend Zoe runs a little long in its final act, but it ultimately succeeds as an exploration of shell shock and mental health, a crowd-pleasing dramedy and a show of appreciation and brotherhood to servicemembers of all stripes. Read
• 6.9 The WrapWilliam Bibbiani “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a noble film, seemingly honest and open. It’s not a terribly exciting one, and it struggles to justify its modest length, but plot isn’t everything. Read
• 6.8 The Daily BeastAllegra Frank It’s a film that could easily veer into manipulative territory in lesser hands, but Hausmann Stokes transforms this personal and devastating story into something deeper, sweeter, and funnier than it may initially seem. Read
• 6.7 Paste MagazineTara Bennett Although Morales is an improv queen, the overriding gravitas of Hausmann-Stokes’ direction makes most of the intended comedy wither and land with a dull thud. However, there are some solid performances from the whole cast, and the opportunity to platform this topic is a plus, and in some cases, likely vital to veterans who will watch it. Read
• 6.7 One Guy's OpinionFrank Swietek A fairly pedestrian message movie, but the workmanlike, often bumpy approach–resembling that of a solid telefilm–doesn’t seriously dilute the power of the message, which centers on the psychological damage suffered by soldiers who’ve served in combat. Read
• 6.0 The Hollywood ReporterLovia Gyarkye The vigilance of the character building doesn’t translate to the narrative. The story at the center of My Dead Friend Zoe — a young woman suffering from PTSD and tasked with caring for her aging grandfather — is oddly unyielding, never relaxing enough to fully engage or move us. Read
• 4.0 CulturessLisa Laman Real-world urgency informs the empathetic and respectful air Hausmann-Stokes brings to My Dead Friend Zoe. Unfortunately, translating these qualities into a very conventional three-act narrative film doesn’t quite work. Read
• 3.0 The Wall Street JournalKyle Smith Mr. Hausmann-Stokes hopes to keep the movie darkly comic until pivoting to a final, emotional payoff, but the mawkish late scenes are even more inept than the supposedly funny ones, as the director stages tearful hugs accompanied by soapy attempts at emotional dialogue. Read
• 3.0 World Socialist Web SiteDavid Walsh My Dead Friend Zoe, as it unfolds, gradually drops its anti-establishment pretenses and becomes an uncritical and unhealthy endorsement of the US armed forces, the principal source of violence and terror on the planet for decades, and their supposedly honorable traditions. Read