Hulu’s original movie, Darby and the Dead is a really fun coming-of-age teen comedy. The film stars Riele Downs (Henry Danger) as Darby the weirdo, Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) as Capri the popular girl, and Chosen Jacobs (Sneakerella) as Alex, the new guy. When we meet Darby we learn that after her mother passed she began to realize that she could see and speak with dead people. Unlike The Sixth Sense, these ghosts aren’t terrifying. Instead, they’re normal “people” with unfinished business. So, Darby helps them satisfy it in order for them to cross over. However, after an accident, her ex-friend/most popular girl in school, Capri, dies Darby’s power no longer seems like a blessing.

DARBY AND THE DEAD IS FUN, CHARMING, AND FULL OF FRIENDSHIP

(L-R): Riele Downs as Darby Harper and Auli’i Cravalho as Capri in 20th Century Studios’ DARBY AND THE DEAD, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Marcos Cruz. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Darby and the Dead is one of my favorite Teen – made for tv – movies to come out this year. I thought that Reile Downs and Auli’i Cravalho did an excellent job together. I loved the messages of family, friendship, and grief. Allowing Darby to move through her feelings of loss, and hope while simultaneously allowing herself to come back out of her shell is important.

Everyone handles grief differently. That includes your closest friends. So, watching and hearing how Capri saw what was happening with Darby was also important and enlightening. In the end, the story allows the girls to put aside their differences, continue to learn from each other, and forge a friendship even after death.

My only gripe with the story is I wanted more dead people. We learn that Darby has this incredible power, and yes she has a dead bestie, Gary (Tony Danza), but I wanted more. While I understand the film needs to focus on what’s going on with Capri and her dream that needs to be fulfilled to cross over, she becomes the only ghost around. I wish that they would have used her powers in a way to gain advice from the ghosts about life, love, loss, and even how to mend friendships. For me, this was a huge missed opportunity.

Otherwise, I think that Darby and the Dead is absolutely worth the watch! Make sure to check it out on Hulu beginning December 2, 2022!

DARBY AND THE DEAD OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

After suffering a near-death experience as a young girl, Darby Harper (Downs) gains the ability to see dead people. As a result, she becomes introverted and shut off from her high school peers. She prefers to spend time counseling lonely spirits who have unfinished business on earth. But all that changes when Capri (Cravalho), the Queen Bee of the school’s most exclusive clique, unexpectedly dies in a freak hair straightening accident. This results in the obvious cancellation of her upcoming “Sweet 17.” Capri, however, pleads with Darby from the other side to intervene and convince Capri’s friends to proceed with the party as planned. In order to appease the wrath of the undead diva, Darby must emerge from her self-imposed exile and reinvent herself. Which along the way allows her to find new joy back in the land of the living. Official Synopsis