Fido (2006)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Andrew Currie

Writers:

Robert Chomiak (written by) &
Andrew Currie (written by) ...

Release Date:

16 March 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

Good dead are hard to find

Plot:

Timmy Robinson's best friend in the whole wide world is a six-foot tall rotting zombie named Fido. But when FIDO eats the next-door neighbor...

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Neighbor | Next Door Neighbor | Leash | Decapitation

Awards:

13 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Helen Robinson
Billy Connolly	...	Fido
Dylan Baker	...	Bill Robinson
K'Sun Ray	...	Timmy Robinson
Sonja Bennett	...	Tammy
Jennifer Clement	...	Dee Dee Bottoms
Rob LaBelle	...	Frank Murphy
Aaron Brown	...	Roy Fraser
Brandon Olds	...	Stan Fraser
Alexia Fast	...	Cindy Bottoms
Henry Czerny	...	Mr. Bottoms
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Mr. Theopolis
David Kaye	...	Narrator (voice)
Jan Skorzewski	...	Eating Zombie
Kevin Tyell	...	Zombie's Victim

MPAA:

Rated R for zombie-related violence.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (one scene) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating) | France:U | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:14

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

Peter Stormare (Fargo) was originally cast for the role of Fido, but upon being cast in "Prison Break" (2005) opted out of the film a week before principal photography was to begin.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Timmy is hiding behind the red car watching his father pull in, you can see the hood pop on Timmy's father's car.

Quotes:

Mr. Bottoms: Is that blood on your zombie?

Movie Connections:

Features Night of the Living (1997)

Soundtrack:

June Time

Wanton homicide, zombies, slavery, bullying: yet it all makes for zany light comedy here

Set in a middle class neighborhood in the imaginary town of Willard in the 1950s, this dark comedy with a light touch toys with such American obsessions as gun mania and violence, materialism and keeping up with the Joneses, fear of others, slavery, golf, and the disposing of the dead. Yes, it all sounds a bit heavy, but trust me on this, it's nearly as light as a feather.

Zombies are featured prominently among the characters. Crucial questions arise, such as: who will become a zombie (90% of the Willard folks choose this final path, while only 10% prefer a traditional funeral)? Who owns how many Zombies to do their bidding like robots (they've become a mark of social status)? And, what is the range of possible relationships that can be worked out between the living and the sort of reincarnated dead?

Somehow, director Andrew Currie, who also co-wrote the lively screenplay (with Robert Chomiak and Dennis Heaton), keeps this improbable material percolating along for an hour and a half without once faltering for want of a good laugh. A super cast helps: Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker, Henry Czerny, Tim Blake Nelson, Mary Black and Sonja Bennett are the principals, aided by young K'Sun Ray as Timmy, the innocent kid with a good heart who acts as fair witness to all the lunacy of the grownups. (Having seen her only in "Memento" and "The Matrix," I had no idea that Ms. Moss had such fine comedienne chops.)

The production design and music are exquisitely 50s, to a tee. Maybe this one isn't for everybody. It surely will be a hard film to beat for my annual Bizarro Award. But intelligent comedies that stay funny from start to finish are among the hardest won achievements in movie-making. For me anyway, "Fido" is a hoot! My grades: 8.5/10 (A-) (Seen on 01/30/07)