Fido (2006)

Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA

April 29, 2007

** / ****

What you say: a movie about domesticated zombies living in the Ozzie and Harriet 1950’s starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Dylan Baker, and Billy Connolly? Yup, The Boston Independent Film Festival is back in town!

Fido is a who’s who and what’s what of independent cinematic fiction, circa 2007: Decent directing (everyone hits their marks except Moss and young lead K’Sun Ray, who both stumble to fit in) with poor editing (the movie feels double its length). Amazing look (the budget was 8 million bucks!) but awkward feel (the movie is at its heart a one-note joke). Great costume and set design (top notch day-glo ‘50s styling) with second-tier famous actors playing against type (a mute Billy Connolly, a prim and proper Moss). And of course, several neat ideas (are zombies living or dead? What if zombies were pets in the idyllic 1950s?) without a sufficient story to make them gel. All in all it’s independent indulgence at its most conservative, odd for a movie about both zombies and 10 year olds encouraged to bear arms.

After an amusing opening news reel that explains ‘The Zombie Wars” and brings us up to speed on a re-imagined 1950’s post-apocalyptic world, Fido chugs along as a series of stilted sketches that never adequately take advantage of the film’s outrageous premise. The zombies are here, for sure, sporting obedience collars and chewing the 1950’s scenery, but the truly outrageous silliness one might expect from such a bizarre concept is nowhere to be found. Without a studio pulling the strings (at least that’s what I thought “independent” meant these days) why not give us what we want? We want zombies, zombies, and more zombies but instead must settle for laughs that rely on how funny we think a prolonged Lassie/Timmy gag can be. And if that’s not your bag (whose bag could it be anyway?) then the laughs are pretty slow in coming.

The big problem with the film is that zombie movies need to be over-the-top, especially comedies, and Fido never quite loosens its collar. There are hints of sexual antics between humans and zombies, a few zombie maulings, and a smattering of ‘50s satire built on the cliched ignorant innocence of the time, but for 8 million bucks and the obvious amount of love and care that went into this film there should be bigger pay-offs than the occasional obvious visual guffaw and a half-hearted zombie free-for-all ending. We the audience demand it, but sadly Fido never quite delivers.

As a whole, the movie is enjoyable enough when viewed with a pumped-up crowd but take it out of that ideal setting and it is very likely more viewing chore than giddy uproar.