Starting off like an episode of “Lassie,” Timmy Robinson (K’Sun Ray) and his loyal pet, Fido (Billy Connolly), are best pals. When Fido isn’t doing household tasks for Mrs. Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss), he and Timmy play in the park. Fido fills the void left by Mr. Robinson (Dylan Baker) who’s always out at the golf course when he’s not working or worrying about paying for his family’s funeral. It’s the rare person who has a funeral anymore and Mr. Robinson is determined that his family will have theirs. It’s either that or they’ll return from the dead as zombies.
Used as servants, manual laborers, pets, and perhaps for prurient ends, the zombies of the idyllic town of Willard are amongst the legions of undead that have been domesticated after the Zombie War. Mrs. Robinson felt obligated to get Fido after the Bottoms, and their seven zombies, moved in across the street. It doesn’t matter that Mr. Robinson has an intense fear of zombies. After all, they have to maintain appearances, don’t they?
Reworking themes previously explored by director Andrew Currie’s short film, NIGHT OF THE LIVING (1997), FIDO questions humanity while examining the roles and responsibilities of fathers. The more Mr. Robinson frets, the closer to the forefront Fido moves. All of this plays against a ‘50s setting, resulting in something like George Romero’s version of “Ozzie & Harriet.”
With strong performances by Moss, Baker, and Tim Blake Nelson (as a neighbor with a hot zombie girlfriend), the use of Connolly as Fido is a strange one. While Connolly does a great job, his character never speaks. For an actor/comedian known for his terrific voice and accent, a mute Connolly is a bit of a waste. Apart from that, FIDO is a nice little zombie tale.
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