My Dead Friend Zoe | After premiering at SXSW 2024, what are the early opinions of Travis Kelce’s movie?

Having announced that his first film production would be screened as part of this year’s SXSW Film Festival 2024 (which is currently underway), the first screening of “My Dead Friend Zoe,” the first film produced by Superbowl winner and current Taylor Swift squeeze Travis Kelce occurred over the weekend.

The movie portrays the story of Merit, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Afghanistan and is currently facing differences with her family due to the presence of her deceased best friend from the Army, Zoe. Despite the efforts of her VA group counsellor, the tough love of her mother, and the unexpected love interest, Merit's close and somewhat dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps them both disconnected from the world. 

However, things change when Merit's estranged grandfather, who is staying at the family's ancestral lake house, starts losing his way and needs help, which he refuses to accept.

The film, the first title featuring Travis Kelce in an executive producer role, has already had some warm reviews from critics over on Rotten Tomatoes, though an aggregated review score has yet to be compiled. However, the first four reviews on the website, all taken from the screening at SXSW 2024, have been positive from the outset.

“While the focus of the film is on veterans, the core of the film is accessible to all viewers: We all suffer losses, but we don’t have to suffer alone” wrote Madeline Duncan of the Austin Chronicle, with Proma Khosla of IndieWire calling the film “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.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye thought that although it had some flaws, the “Strong performances from a stacked cast help smooth over some of the bumps.” So far, of the four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, each one is a “Fresh” rating - a positive omen ahead of the film’s general theatrical release post-festival season.

The reviews come as Deadline reports that Kelce is already finalizing his next production work; a film based on the life of acclaimed artist Jean-Michel Basquiat tentatively titled “King Pleasure.” Reports suggest that Kelce and the creative team have already been given access to Basquiat’s archive of work to prepare for the film.