Dead Like Me: Life After Death

For the whole two seasons that it was running, Dead Like Me was one of my favorite series. In all honesty, since it was the first and last show I ever followed, it bothered me that something so creative could be replaced. It was brilliant; it was a show about life after death that provoked the viewer to actually think about their own life. Were they letting it wither away as they continued the daily grind? Were they truly happy? Regardless of the questions asked, it made you think. The movie is still capable of doing this.

Obviously, there are bound to be changes from the TV series to the movie. Most of the more obvious changes are the telling of the story about how and why death exists, the switch from Laura Harris to Sarah Wynter as Daisy, the layout of the Happy Time offices, the two girls who played both the younger Reggie and George, the Lass family home, and how the living sees Millie. Of these, only one is truly capable of being refuted as a change that could have happened as a success of business; the others feel relatively improper and have removed something for the fans of the Dead Like Me TV series.

The story begins by explaining the creation of life and death, much like the pilot for the TV series. In a similar fashion, it is George who is doing the vast majority of the story-telling. She explains the role of a grim reaper and how it is that she became one. In telling this tale, they utilize graphic novel scenes. This is most useful for when they explain Rube, played by Mandy Patinkin in the series, and his rules for how reapers should co-exist with the living: They always had to remain on the fringe, and they could not interfere with the living any more than it was expected of them.

After this delightful opening, which was quite enjoyable even after recognizing the glaring difference between the two depictions of how death came to be, they reintroduce the cast of characters by having them called to a meeting. At this point, they introduce a new boss: Cameron Kane. Insulting Rube in every possible way, he is the exact opposite of their former boss. He trades post-it notes for text messages, claiming they will make the process of reaping souls more efficient; he acts among the living rather than living on the fringe. No longer does anyone have to follow rules; Cameron merely reminds them that they should do their job, not caring if someone does something moronic.

While the tale of Mason, Roxy, and Daisy is quite intriguing, they are not the primary story. Of course, they never were. Their primary roles have almost consistently been to provide comedic relief. No, the main story is between George and her younger and living sister Reggie. It finally brings to a close the losses both had felt during their lives after George's sudden death. The beginning seems to show that everyone had finally moved on; Reggie is still an outcast in high school, and George is still working at Happy Time. An accident brings them together once again, with George working on trying to get Reggie to say her final goodbyes to the boy she had fallen in love with. Though the whole plot is sad, there is a really positive spin: You never know when will be the last time you can say "I love you" or "Goodbye" will be, so always use the time you have wisely to always say it.

All in all, if a fan can get over the changes that were made, they will definitely enjoy this movie. While it would be more than wonderful to see Dead Like Me return to TV as a series, the movie has made a good close to the series that felt blind-sided by having been canceled a few years ago. It remains thought-provoking, forcing every viewer to question if they really are living life to the fullest.

As a side note, it is during these times especially, considering our economic turmoil worldwide, that people really should be questioning these concepts more often: Are you squandering your life away with materialism, or are you truly living it to the fullest and enjoying every bit of it?