My Dead Friend Zoe
Briarcliff Entertainment | Release Date: February 28, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatJason DelgadoFeb 26, 2025
To be able to understand these universal experiences on a deeper level because of this film is a true gift. Even if you don’t have a Zoe, just know that you’re never truly alone. Read full review
91
Original-CinJohn KirkFeb 24, 2025
A semi-autobiographical and powerfully moving story by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, My Dead Friend Zoe is inaccurately described as a “dark comedy” or as a “buddy film”. Read full review
90
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 24, 2025
Hausmann-Stokes won’t let the film get sappy; Martin-Green and Harris ensure it. Instead, it’s an unflinching look at a health crisis, a film that arrives at what it’s trying to say through unconventional means, and is all the more effective for it. Read full review
90
ColliderMatt DonatoMar 15, 2024
My Dead Friend Zoe opens wounds and douses them in peroxide — the immediate sensation stings, but eventually cleanses and soothes. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireFeb 28, 2025
This is a persuasive piece of advocacy filmmaking, tucked inside a playful and profane comedy about female friendship. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 26, 2025
Some of the resolutions of this myriad of conflicts and issues are perhaps a bit too tidy, but this is a richly layered and truly moving set piece, with a smart and insightful screenplay and great performances from the ensemble cast. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 15, 2024
Hausmann-Stokes’ message is simple, and his movie is a perfect place to start: Take an interest in our veterans. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesFeb 27, 2025
Inspired by writer-director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ own experiences in the Army, including combat in Iraq, My Dead Friend Zoe tackles PTSD head-on with humor and empathy. Read full review
75
ABC NewsPeter TraversFeb 28, 2025
Forget the silly title. There’s a world of hurt behind the laughs in this emotional powerhouse as therapist Morgan Freemen treats a PTSD soldier (a very fine Sonequa Martin-Green), home from Afghanistan but still talking to the scrappy ghost of her army bestie (Natalie Morales). Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrFeb 27, 2025
My Dead Friend Zoe is straightforward as filmmaking and it’s fairly obvious as therapy, but it comes from a place of deep respect and deeper love, and everyone here honors that. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleFeb 26, 2025
The movie’s earnestness carries it through these less smooth moments. So does the cast. Any opportunity to see Freeman or Harris, still at the top of their games, is a chance to be treasured. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreFeb 26, 2025
Perhaps only an Iraq War combat vet would dare to tackle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with the sort of sarcasm and gallows humor of My Dead Friend Zoe. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussFeb 24, 2025
Fundamentally, though, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is a tricky story told exceedingly well. It earns our attention — and a few salutes. Read full review
75
IndieWireProma KhoslaMar 15, 2024
It’s a visceral look at the veteran experience and the kinds of loss we can’t easily describe or process, and the isolation that comes with that. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonFeb 27, 2025
Most of the filmmaking in My Dead Friend Zoe feels workmanlike, proficient and straightforward in its storytelling — a promising feature debut for Hausmann-Stokes. The film’s best feature is its performances from a uniformly excellent cast. Read full review
69
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiMar 4, 2025
My Dead Friend Zoe' is a noble film, seemingly honest and open. It’s not a terribly exciting one, and it struggles to justify its modest length, but plot isn’t everything. Read full review
68
The Daily BeastAllegra FrankApr 3, 2024
It’s a film that could easily veer into manipulative territory in lesser hands, but Hausmann Stokes transforms this personal and devastating story into something deeper, sweeter, and funnier than it may initially seem. Read full review
67
Paste MagazineTara Bennett Feb 28, 2025
Although Morales is an improv queen, the overriding gravitas of Hausmann-Stokes’ direction makes most of the intended comedy wither and land with a dull thud. However, there are some solid performances from the whole cast, and the opportunity to platform this topic is a plus, and in some cases, likely vital to veterans who will watch it. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeMar 15, 2024
The vigilance of the character building doesn’t translate to the narrative. The story at the center of My Dead Friend Zoe — a young woman suffering from PTSD and tasked with caring for her aging grandfather — is oddly unyielding, never relaxing enough to fully engage or move us. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithFeb 28, 2025
Mr. Hausmann-Stokes hopes to keep the movie darkly comic until pivoting to a final, emotional payoff, but the mawkish late scenes are even more inept than the supposedly funny ones, as the director stages tearful hugs accompanied by soapy attempts at emotional dialogue. Read full review
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