At Deanna’s therapeutic meditation sessions, Myron (Colin Taylor Martin) bursts in late, loudly takes his shoes off, and then his phone rings. All this noise means Deanna restarts her recap of the last few days several times. Deanna speaks faster and faster with each interruption, until she blurts everything out at once, without being able to discuss her feelings on the topics. Her reaction to this feels genuine and seeing the character grow more self-assured throughout the movie is delightful.
A lot of that rests squarely on Volk’s shoulders, as the actress portrays Deanna with nuance and empathy. She somehow gets the audience invested in a self-described stalker who attempts to murder at least one person. How hard must that be for a performer? Without her as the titular Deany Bean, this comedy would not be nearly as charming or interesting. Deanna should be hard to like, but Volk plays her as someone with big emotions, which makes it easier to understand where is coming from.
“…leisurely directing allows the strong characters and their quirks to remain the focus…”
Volk’s co-stars ably support her. The movie is most enjoyable when the actors get to react to Deanna’s crazy outbursts. Paulina Bugembe portrays Deanna’s co-worker Izzy and the way she insists that Deanna invite her out on her next stalking mission is amusing and ridiculous in equal measure. As the object of desire, Cannon is charming and seems even to feel a little sorry about the state he left Deanna in.
The leisurely directing allows the strong characters and their quirks to remain the focus throughout Deany Bean Is Dead. Coupled with Volk’s excellent lead performance and fun flourishes, the movie is never out and out hilarious, but it is an endearing, droll watch that will put you in a good mood.
"…more interested in mood and tone than plot."
