I’ve been a fan of Jeremy LaLonde for some time now, and have enjoyed all of his films. He assembles great casts and tends to have very sharp scripts, his latest, Daniel’s Gotta Die, screening tonight at Toronto After Dark is no exception to that.

Shot in the Caribbean during lockdown, LaLonde delivers a fun and biting tale of a family that is forced to spend a weekend together following the death of the Powell patriarch (Iggy Pop). Daniel (Joel David Moore) is arguably the black sheep of the family, he’s friendly, compassionate, wants to be a chef with his own restaurant, and is engaged to the lovely Emily (Chantel Riley).

The rest of the family is greedy, self-obsessed and wants their share of the inheritance. Unfortunately, it seems to have all gone to Daniel, who only wants to share the news of the engagement with his family and all they want is the money, which may mean Daniel’s Gotta Die.

Mia (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is a brutal business woman, Jessica (Carly Chaikin) is a streamer, Victor (Jason Jones) is in deep with his bookie, and the family lawyer, Lawrence (Bob Saget) is steamed that his years of loyalty to the family hasn’t earned him what he thinks he deserves.

Consequently, the family all seems to have plans to take Daniel out of the picture, and things escalate quickly as no one seems to be above backstabbing, and no one seems to want to be family. They just want the financial perks.

Gorgeously shot on location, LaLonde makes the most of his cast and his locale and delivers a funny and sharp tale that is bound to entertain. LaLonde’s knack for editing and storytelling allows for a snappy film that lets each of the cast shine and delivers a lot of laughs.

This time out LaLonde is working with a script from Matthew Dressel, and it seems to fit LaLonde’s style perfectly, biting acerbic and lots of heart. This ended up being Bob Saget’s last film, but it’s a great role for him to go out on, and this one is sure to entertain the Toronto After Dark crowd tonight.

It is preceded by Abby Falvo’s short *666 which plays as a quirky black and white silent film about a pair of satanists who make a phone call…

It’s going to be a great night at Toronto After Dark, you can find screenings, showtimes and tickets here and I’ll see you After Dark!