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You can’t choose your family… but you can choose to love them.
Directed by Jeremy Lalonde, Daniel’s Gotta Die tells the story of Daniel Powell (Joel David Moore), a loving son who is caring for his father in his final days. With the end approaching for his father, Daniel’s greatest desire is to reconcile with his siblings as an act of grace. But when his father’s massive inheritance is revealed, his siblings begin to sharpen their knives. (After all, if Daniel were to disappear, their share increases!) Now thrown together at the family beach house, Daniel tries to rediscover the meaning of family… even if it kills him.
Dark and funny, Daniel’s Gotta Die is a hilariously dark comedy that bounces with murderous glee. Admittedly, this appears to be a story that we’ve seen before in the form of a tale of ‘siblings divided over the dissemination of the will is forced to spend time together in an effort to become a family again’. But Lalonde ensures that this familiar tale is full of unexpected turns, keeping the viewer laughing along the way.
Elevating the material with enthusiastic performances, everyone in this in this film feels up for the fun. And Daniel’s Gotta Die has an embarrassment of riches with its casting. Featuring comedy veterans like Mary-Lynn Rajskub, Jason Jones, Joel David Moore and Carly Chalkin, these characters keep the laughs coming, even in moments when the script briefly stumbles.
But the shining star of this film has to be the late Bob Saget. As their father’s lawyer, Lawrence, Saget is allowed to embrace his dark side while still balancing that with a warmth and charm. As a result, for the final film before his passing, Daniel’s Gotta Die feels almost like a greater tribute to the work of Saget than any final season of Fuller House. Although he’s best known for his role as family man, Danny Tanner, Saget was actually beloved on the comedy circuit for his raunchy humour. Here, Saget seems to be invited to blend the two conflicting sides of his career together, making this murderous comedy a fitting tribute to a beloved, pop culture figure.
Even beyond the bloody exploits, the film tries to speak to the complexities of family dynamics. Despite the fact that his siblings are simply the worst people on the planet, Daniel fights for the soul of his family. To Daniel, it’s essential to believe the best in people. (“If you live on the frequency of positivity, then nothing can go wrong,” he posits.) Having grown up without them, Daniel sees their father’s passing as an opportunity for his family to heal their past and reignite their relationships.
Even so, Daniel’s Gotta Die doesn’t let him off that easy.
This is a script that genuinely asks the question of whether or not this sort of reconciliation is always possible. Is there truly good in everyone? Or, sometimes, do we have to be willing to accept that some relationships are not able to heal? For Daniel, this seems impossible. After all, these moments are supposed to be opportunities for hope. Fighting for their relationships, Daniel‘s quest to give his siblings the opportunity to redeem themselves is nothing short of noble.
Except that it leads to Daniel’s fight for his own life.
But therein lies the tension of Daniel’s Gotta Die. For Daniel, the real battle is for his family’s soul, even if their love of money has poisoned the water. To him, they’re always going to be his siblings and that’s what matters most. Whether or not they’re willing to respond in kind is another thing entirely.
Daniel’s Gotta Die is available in theatres on Friday, March 15th, 2024.
