Tapping my foot waiting for better movies to come to the box office, I decided to give My Dead Dad a whirl. The film written and directed by Fabio Frey with a little help from the lead role, Pedro Correa, is worth a stream on HBO. Pedro may become a big name soon considering he’s starring in an upcoming film with some heavy hitters (Russell Crowe and Bill Murray) in The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
While My Dead Dad has an old theme, a man’s search to know his previously estranged and now deceased parent, Frey and Correa keep it fresh with earnestly written and acted characters. For instance, after Red Rocket (Sean Baker) I swore I’d follow Simon Rex anywhere. Here his character has fallen into better luck, but he still manages to be a similar dude with the old smack of self-absorption. Courtney Dietz is fantastic as Pedro and Simon’s love interest. The stand off at the door between she and Pedro was exquisitely acted, allowing the audience (aka me) to read between the lines of what she was saying vs. what was in her heart. Bravo. Likewise Pedro’s performance as a man coming of age in self-destruct mode also seemed very plausible.
The beginning and end instrumental tune was highly addictive and I am still on the search for the title. If I was a voter at a film fest, I’d still choose Montana Story over My Dead Dad, which felt thematically similar. Montana Story had a more polished sound and cinematography. However, I’m still glad I watched this film.
