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Burying the Ex

Name: Burying the Ex
Director: Joe Dante
Released: 2014
Duration: 89 min

Representation Score

4.1/10

Fair

2014

Director

Joe Dante

Runtime

89 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Joe Dante's dark comedy prioritizes tonal absurdity and horror-comedy mechanics over progressive themes. The film deconstructs romantic clichés through a macabre lens but lacks sociopolitical weight. The narrative remains centered on a traditional demographic, using postmodernism for stylistic effect without challenging systemic hierarchies. Ultimately, the film focuses on the interpersonal chaos within a specific social niche, leaving multi-layered identities and diverse representation largely unaddressed.

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Category Breakdown

Does Burying the Ex have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a traditional romantic structure focused on a straight couple, with no significant LGBTQ+ representation.

How does Burying the Ex portray gender?

Limited

The female lead disrupts the conventional power dynamics but her influence stems from her supernatural status, not from challenging gender norms.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Burying the Ex?

Limited

The cast is mostly white and Anglo-Saxon, lacking diverse representation to broaden the narrative scope.

How does Burying the Ex represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story examines social rituals and grief through an absurdist lens, but does not provide a dedicated critique of Western institutions like religion.

Does Burying the Ex include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no meaningful representation of neurodivergence or physical disabilities. The protagonist's undead status serves as a horror cliché without deeper exploration.

Present on Screen

Uses a postmodern, absurdist lens to examine the absurdity of grief and modern social rituals.
Employs a genre-bending approach to deconstruct traditional romantic clichés.

Limited or Absent

Maintains a predominantly white and homogeneous demographic profile, lacking multi-layered casting.
Does not engage with the deconstruction of systemic hierarchies or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Uses supernatural elements as horror clichés without exploring nuanced disability or ability to act.

Official Synopsis

Before horror enthusiast Max can break things off with his girlfriend Evelyn she dies in a bus accident. In time, Max meets another woman only to have Evelyn resurface as a zombie ready to resume their relationship.

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