Zombieland: A Feast of Funny

Zombieland is the kind of movie that doesn’t pretend to be any more or any less than what it is, which is exactly what I was hoping for. There was no social commentary (see: 28 Days Later) or dry sarcastic wit (see: Shaun of the Dead), and trust me I loved both, but this ZomCom was all about enjoying the little things when the world has totally gone down the crapper. Luckily for me, this film was totally my little thing this weekend.

I wasn’t sure how director Ruben Fleischer would fare since it was his first feature film, but I was extremely impressed. I can’t say I had much more faith in the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who’ve only written for obscure things like The Joe Schmo Show. But this team definitely has some chops when it comes to comedy, and I can see them carving out a little indie niche for themselves if they keep it up.

At it’s core, Zombieland is a movie about a cross-country road trip with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Sure they may be different but what they share is that they no longer have homes to rest all safe and sound in because they’ve all had to leave their loved ones and old lives behind. It’s also pretty much why we never get to know their real names, only pseudonyms of where they’re trying to go. That was then and this is now.

Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), is one of those shy, awkward loners who is just so bumbling he’s lovable. Woody Harrelson (Edtv, “Cheers“) plays bada** zombie killer Tallahassee, who’s just so off-the-wall bonkers that he’s lovable too. Emma Stone (The House Bunny, Superbad ) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) are Wichita and Little Rock, two devious sisters who would leave you shoeless and penniless if you turned your back for a second. These four are an unlikely band of brothers but somehow they work, and some of the films best scenes (besides the zombie throw downs, of course) are when they’re all playing off each other.

Zombieland doesn’t shy away from the gore. It’s bloody and gross, and I might have dry heaved a couple of times, but it was all worth it. The hilarious dialogue, the wicked use of double barreled shotguns and the 32 rules of survival in Zombieland (which the film heavily relied on) kept me enthralled in this fantasyland where anything goes. And apparently in Zombieland, you can even get away with breaking into Bill Murray’s house and blasting the Ghostbusters theme song.

Sure there’s a romantic storyline, but by no means is this about love in Zombieland. You see Columbus and even Little Rock change and  grow up but it isn’t a coming of age story about surviving the end of the world. In the end, it is just about watching zombie’s get killed in hilarious ways and being lucky enough to see it through the eyes of some very fun characters. Like I said, nothing more nothing less, but completely delightful.