Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Slevin) would not appear to be a naturally comedic actor, and his new film You Kill Me is an unlikely comedy thanks in part to its undeniably morbid premise involving an aging man named Frank, who is without question an alcoholic. He drinks vodka, whisky or gin like a person would drink water after wandering through a desert. This is a man whose idea of setting goals is throwing a bottle of alcohol 10 feet ahead of him as an incentive to shovel the Buffalo snow at his feet to get to the bottle again and take another swig. He’s depressed, lonely and clearly a mess. When the drinking starts to interfere with his work, his boss sends him out to San Francisco to sober up and join Alcoholics Anonymous. As a part time job, he works in a morgue applying makeup to the dead before burial.
And yet despite its morbid premise, You Kill Me is actually a comedy – in part because Frank’s original job was killing people, which also makes this movie something of a thriller as well. Director John Dahl (Joy Ride) carefully handles both elements with certain craftiness, assisted by delicious performances by the naturally comedic Téa Leoni (Fun with Dick and Jane) and Luke Wilson (Vacancy) as Frank’s new buddies out west. It’s an unlikely but enjoyable grouping of actors, as the vibrant Leoni and Wilson perfectly contrast the deadpan mumbling of Kingsley. Bill Pullman (Scary Movie 4) is also hilarious as a real-estate agent who is always drunk. The final result of this IFC production is a subtle killer of a comedy, as efficient as Frank on the prowl, when he’s sober that is. If you’re looking for something a little offbeat to see this summer, give You Kill Me a shot.
Contact reporter Adam Z. Winer at awiner42@umd.edu.
