Johnny Dingle (Andrew Lowery) is a likable high school kid who's been madly in love with Missy McCloud (the extremely sexy Traci Lind) for around a decade. One fateful night, his attempt to worm his way into her heart goes seriously awry, and he is shot by a robber. But within 24 hours or so, he rises from the grave, determined to keep their prom date. Hilarity ensues as most of the people around him adjust surprisingly well to having a returnee from the dead in their midst.
Veteran filmmaker Sean S. Cunningham was producer of this mainstream Hollywood zombie comedy, written by Dean Lorey and directed by actor Bob Balaban. While there are no genuine comedy fireworks here, it's all pleasant enough to make for passable entertainment. There's plenty of lame lines, but somehow they still made this viewer snicker. This is largely because Cunningham and Balaban assembled quite the solid cast here: Mary Beth Hurt (who'd also played the mother in Balabans' directorial debut, a similar dark comedy called "Parents") and Edward Herrmann as Johnny's parents, Jay O. Sanders as Missy's sheriff father, Matthew Fox, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Matthew McConaughey (in his film debut) in pre-stardom appearances, Paul Dooley as Hoffmans' redneck father, Bob Dishy as a graveyard keeper, Austin Pendleton as a weaselly doctor, and Paxton Whitehead as a judge in Heaven. Cloris Leachman, however, is utterly wasted as a "zombie expert" named Maggie. Be sure to watch for Edwin Neal, the Hitchhiker of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", as one of Dooley's henchmen. The material really isn't that great, but these people make it work as well as it does.
Lowery makes Johnny very likable, a basically decent chap who's revolted at the thought of having to eat living people in order to extend his own existence. Lind is enticing as the kind of gal for whom lots of guys would fall. Herrmann and Hurt are endearing as the cheerful parents.
Given that this is obviously geared more towards a mainstream, youth oriented audience, don't expect very much in the way of gore or sex. But it does offer some fun, and only runs a fairly painless 85 minutes long.
Six out of 10.