Zombie sitcom’s fun finally fizzles
Published 5:10 pm Thursday, July 5, 2007
Well, somebody had to make a zombie situation comedy. And it’s just as well it was the people behind “Fido,” because this movie scares up some honest laughs before it overextends its premise.
“Fido” takes place in a strange 1950s cul-de-sac, like a candy-colored episode of the “Lassie” TV show. On first glance, you might think this neighborhood is just around the corner from the Cleavers: Little Timmy Robinson (K’Sun Ray) lives with his overworked dad (Dylan Baker) and slightly bored mom (Carrie-Anne Moss), slowly drowning in suburban boredom.
That’s first glance. Actually, the world has recently suffered the Zombie War, and life is divided into habitable communities and wild forbidden zones, where cannibalistic zombies roam free.
Thanks to the geniuses at the ZomCom corporation, some zombies have been controlled and domesticated, which is how the Robinsons acquire a zombie as their new butler. Timmy names him Fido. Fido is played by comedian Billy Connolly, in a kooky wordless performance. (Shorn of his shaggy hair and lathered with green make-up, Connolly is literally unrecognizable.)
Mom is thrilled with the new zombie – he’s somewhat more attentive to her than her husband – while Dad is nervous, thanks to some unfortunate experiences during the Zombie War. But Timmy has found a new friend.
You know all those movies about a boy and his dog? Well, same deal here, except the dog can kill you if his special electronic collar goes haywire and he resumes his hunger for human brains.
For its opening half-hour, the Canadian-made “Fido” (it was shot in Vancouver) works this joke with skill. The impeccably campy ’50s design helps, and so do the performances. Carrie-Anne Moss (the “Matrix” heroine) is especially good at maintaining the quiet desperation of her restless housewife, and keeping it funny.
The cast includes Tim Blake Nelson as a next-door neighbor, Sonja Bennett as his suspiciously sexy zombie servant, and Henry Czerny as a ZomCom executive with a vision.
Director Andrew Currie works an amusing variation on the old “Timmy’s stuck in a well” plot from “Lassie,” but otherwise, frankly, the movie runs out of variations on its idea. If you treasure campy comedy or just can’t get enough of zombies, this might be enough – it was, just barely, for me.
“Fido” stars Dylan Baker, Billy Connolly, Carrie-Anne Moss and K’Sun Ray.
