Hard to Die

Hard to Die has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Gail Harris is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

There is a reason Hard to Die keeps coming up in conversation. Hard to Die does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series of killings six months previously, is at the bottom of the whole thing. Little do they know the real horror that they face in the end. Gail Harris and Karen Mayo-Chandler lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1990. What keeps Hard to Die from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Hard to Die. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Gail Harris is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.