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:

Factual errors: When the mother rams the barricade, she does not have the clutch engaged when she floored the accelerator. In real life the car would have stalled.

Quotes:

Cindy Bottoms: Hi Timmy. Surprised?
Timmy Robinson: Sort of.
Cindy Bottoms: It's okay. It's sort of cool in a way. And he's a lot nicer.
Timmy Robinson: Do you wanna play catch?
Cindy Bottoms: Sure.
Timmy Robinson: Does, uh, your zombie wanna play? What do you call him anyways?
Cindy Bottoms: I don't know. Right now I'm just calling him 'Daddy.'
Timmy Robinson: Sure, okay. Come on.
Cindy Bottoms: Come on, Daddy.

Movie Connections:

Features Night of the Living (1997)

Soundtrack:

It's a Good Day

It's Like Leave It To Beaver With A Brain-Hungry Butler

A year or so ago, I was watching the TV news when a story was broadcast about a zombie movie being filmed in my area. Since then I have paid particular attention to this movie called 'Fido' as it finished production and began playing at festivals. Two weeks ago Fido began playing in my local theater. And, just yesterday, I read a newspaper article which stated Fido is not attracting audiences in it's limited release, with the exception of our local theater. In fact, here it is outdrawing all other shows at The Paramount Theater, including 300. Of course, this makes sense as many locals want to see their city on screen or spot themselves roaming around in zombie make-up. And for any other locals who haven't seen Fido yet but are considering it, I can say there are many images on screen, from the school to city park to the forbidden zone, that you will recognize. In fact, they make the Okanagan Valley look beautiful. That's right beautiful scenery in a zombie movie! However, Fido itself is a very good movie. Yes, despite its flaws, it is better then most of the 20 other movies playing in my local market. Fido is best described as an episode of Lassie in which the collie has been replaced by a member of the undead. This is a clever premise. And the movie even goes further by taking advantage of the 1950's emphasize on conformity and playing up the cold-war paranoia which led to McCarthyism. Furthermore, it builds on the notion that zombies can be tamed or trained which George Romero first introduced in Day Of The Dead.

K'Sun Ray plays a small town boy who's mother (Carrie-Ann Moss) longs for a zombie servant so she can be like all the other house wives on her block. However, his dad (Dylan Baker) is against the idea as he once had to kill his own 'zombie father'. Eventually, the family does acquire a zombie named 'Fido' (played by Billy Connolly), and adjusts to life with the undead. Billy Connolly was inspired casting. He is able to convey Fido's confusion, longing, hatred, and loyalty through only his eyes, lumbering body, and grunts. Connolly shows that he can play understated characters better than his outrageously comedic ones. This is his best role since Mrs. Brown.

Fido follows in the footsteps of other recent zomcoms such as Shawn Of The Dead and Zombie Honeymoon. Being someone who appreciates Bruce Campbell and Misty Mundae movies more than Eli Roth and Jigsaw ones, I prefer humor over gore in my horror. However, I understand the criticism of those horror fans who feel there is not enough 'undead carnage' in Fido. Yet, I am sure patient viewers will be rewarded by the films gentle humor.

The movie does break down in it's third act. It's as if the writers were so wrapped up in the cute premise of domesticated zombies in the 1950s, they forgot about the story arc. However, given my interest in horror comedies and my appreciation for seeing the neighborhood on screen, I rate Fido 9 out of 10.