Written and directed by Larry Ziegelman, co-written by Jason Silberberg, Jacob has kept his childhood trauma a secret from his wife until today, when he surprises her with a nighttime trip through a cemetery to confront the grave of his recently deceased childhood bully. What begins as a difficult journey into the past becomes an unexpected opportunity for catharsis, connection, and, of course, childish revenge. Starring: Dave Honigman, Tiffany Bedwell, Tate Million, Julia Rowley, Brooklynn Walker and Max Ziegelman.
Diving into Grave Expectations you’re quickly hit with a strong classic sit-com vibe, it has that big energy and playful feel. It’s a little surprising given the choice of a cemetery setting for a good portion of the film. It hinted at the possibility of a dark sense of humour but actually goes all in on a tone that’s more akin to a coming-of-age film. That choice feels like it holds the film back, the comedy is a little flat and it’s playing things a lot safer than expected.
The theme of childhood traumas, embarrassments and resentments following you into adulthood works well. It’s undeniable that for most people, those types of memories follow them for pretty much the rest of their lives so it’s forever a relevant topic. Particularly when reflecting on them to consider how they shaped you as an adult. However, the story feels quite familiar, it’s not adding many unique qualities to set it apart from the countless tales of childhood bullies that we’ve heard before.
What’s interesting is as Grave Expectations progresses, it feels more like a romcom about a married couple than about Jacob’s (Dave Honigman) childhood issues. It begins to look at his connection with his wife Shira (Tiffany Bedwell) and renewing that through this unusual adventure in a cemetery. That feels like the film’s stronger vein but is receiving less of the attention. Most of it is going into the silliness and sketch like comedy but when it strays away from that and builds these sweet moments of a couple’s bond being renewed, it’s more entertaining. It’s also bringing through less traditional qualities since it’s still not particularly common to have a romance revolving around people married with kids.
The strongest aspect of the performances from Dave Honigman and Tiffany Bedwell is also that chemistry. The gags don’t really create laugh out loud moments but watching Bedwell’s Shira stick up for the younger, bullied version of her husband is fun and endearing. The direction is also solid throughout, Larry Ziegelman does well to match the different energies and atmospheres as Grave Expectations moves through past and present. The cinematography (by Kevin Otterness) does a good job of separating the two, adding in plenty of colour and brightness to the childhood scenes.
Grave Expectations treads familiar ground with its story but had the potential for something more. There was the opportunity to bring through some black comedy and create a romance surrounding a sweet married couple but unfortunately that doesn’t come to fruition. With the main focus being on the bullying, the comedy doesn’t strike strong notes and struggles to set itself apart. The elements all still work but without creating a more unique personality and story, it’s falling short of its potential.
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