Image: Focus Features
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If there’s a common thread connecting the random licensed movies that fly up the Netflix charts only to vanish into the ether days later, it’s the casts. These movies often feature a recognizable star, an incredible supporting cast, or both. That third option is the case for The Dead Don’t Die, the zombie invasion comedy starring Bill Murray and Adam Driver.
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch (Stranger Than Paradise, Broken Flowers), the absurdist “zom-com” follows the police force of the small town of Centerville as they attempt to stave off a horde of zombies. Murray and Driver play Chief Cliff Robertson and Officer Ronnie Peterson.
In addition to Murray and Driver, the ensemble cast features Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Carol Kane, RZA, Austin Butler, Sturgill Simpson, and Selena Gomez.
Despite the star-studded cast, The Dead Don’t Die did not make much of a splash, earning just $15 million at the box office. Critics and audiences weren’t exactly thrilled either, as the movie is sitting at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes with an even lower 38% audience score.
The A.V. Club’s Katie Rife said this in 2019: “Jim Jarmusch’s movies are always laconic, but this one felt less like a bunch of old friends hanging out and more like old friends dutifully showing up to do one of them a half-hearted favor.”
“The worst movie I have seen in a long time!” one RT user complained. “This should have been a Netflix release. 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back.”
Five years later, they’ve finally gotten their wish, as the movie is now streaming on Netflix.
