R.I.P.D.- Rest In Peace Department ((No Spoilers.. It did enough of that on it's own))
This film is about what it's name implies, The 'Rest In Peace Department'. Apparently some souls, usually bad souls, don't wanna go to their place once they die and they know tricks of the trade to stay on Earth. But when a Cop or Law Enforcement Officer good at their job is taken in the line of duty and was in the middle of his or her life, is neither all the way good nor all the way bad (as they were taken in their prime, before given the chance to become their full, complete selves), (s)he is given a sentence in 'Limbo'. Their 'sentence' is to fight to get these bad souls where they belong for whatever length of time deemed to 'earn their wings', I guess.
Since each law official and their stories are different, and this has been going on for ages, you have bobbies, coppers, wild west outlaws, police from the twenties, fifties, from the past few hundred years. Each is working their sentence which can be months or a couple hundred years, as we later learn, to swing their "limbo" status to good and allow them to move on and up "with honours". They basically become the police of the afterlife that refuse to leave Earth. Of course they cannot look like themselves so to others. So our modern day newly dead cop, Ryan Reynolds and his old school Wild West Sheriff partner, played by Jeff Bridges look like this. Yes, Bridges plays the 'sexy blonde' and is this movie's only saving grace.
Their boss of sorts (more middle management, in reality) is played by Mary-Louise Parker as seen below. Now, when I saw the trailers for this flick I was REALLY excited. I expected a "Dead Like Me"/"Inception"/"Adjustment Bureau" sort of 'think (wo)man's' picture. I was VERY... SADLY.. MISTAKEN. Have you seen 'Men in Black'? Any of them? Then you can just skip this movie.
It didn't spend hardly ANY time explaining or staying within the interesting parts (The afterlife and Limbo) and was a cop movie with Reynolds as the cocky rookie, a-la Will Smith to the gruff ole timer, Jeff Bridges, a-la Tommy Lee Jones. Now, I admit that Jeff Bridges alone turned this 3 film (on a scale of 1-10) into a 5 or so... but what do we still have??? A bad movie that is a 5 out of 10.
Saying anything else would ruin what isn't already ruined by it's very existence because it has so little plot and zero twists or turns that I could hiccup and give more away. Like I said, Jeff Bridges gave it what little life it had, but how many times can one laugh at him playing a Wild West Deputy trapped in a 'hot' blonde's body?? I stopped at three.
If you also saw the trailers and thought this would explore the afterlife like Albert Brook's insightful, charming, and intense dramady "Defending Your Life" (which I will review as soon as I see it again.. It's a big fave of mine so it will probably be soon), you will be disappointed at a 90 minute flop that felt like a 2 hour drawn out flop with no surprises, original comedy or thoughts on a topic that could have been **amazing** if explored at all, expanded on further, or discussed correctly.
I haven't been this let down since "Lincoln". I should have saved the time and just rewatched "Defending Your Life". Now THAT is a movie that explores the afterlife in a smart, funny, touching, yet thought-provoking way.
Yours,
Zuzu