He Said, She Said: Zombieland
By D. James Ruccio III
October 5, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
For whatever reason, particular things will capture the zeitgeist of a society. The current craze of the emotionally sensitive vampires and fast running zombies has taken over literature, movies and the backs of bedroom doors of tweener girls. And regarding the recent crop of emo, chaste vampires, what happened? Can I please have the return of Victorian Era, sexed-up vampires who live in foreboding castles, seduce young maidens and escape from stake, holy water and Bible-wielding maniacs. Vampires who don't have sex is pretty pointless. But at least the purity of the zombie remains intact. In fact, with the advent of zombies from 28 Days Later, their fundamental flaw of shuffling locomotion was rectified. It's true, though, that George A. Romero, the father of modern zombies, makes a convincing physical and creative defense of the slow undead, rigor mortis and the fact that it's far scarier to see something moving slowly towards a victim that can not be stopped. Regardless, with all things of the moment, eventually comedy will begin to express its take on a topic. Therefore, Zombieland was inevitable. And it is not to be missed.
Taking inspiration from Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is sort of the American version for American humor sensibilities and audiences. It's a sharply written barrage of fast dialogue, one liners, subtle and not so subtle movie references and surprisingly endearing character moments. But make no mistake, this is at its undead heart a zany, buddy, zombie killer movie.
Zombieland starts, like its zombies...fast. Jesse Eisenberg's character Columbus (named for his eventual destination) introduces the movie by reviewing - probably in a nod to Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide - his various rules for survival in zombie infested America. We watch him carefully review his rules through a series of scenarios and the hilarious results of anyone who deviates from them. We are also treated to an abundant amount of propulsive gore early and director Ruben Fleischer seems intent on dialing up the display of every possible bodily fluid. Absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. If you think something can erupt out of a body it will, and Fleischer will make sure it's ejected with maximum escape velocity. For the more squishy adverse, however, this does not last throughout the length of the movie.
Columbus is played well by Jesse Eisenberg as a nebbish, neurotic hyper-phobic mess well known to audiences since the introduction of Woody Allen. The performance mostly works but there's nothing new here and it feels like the creators of Zombieland wrote the part for Michael Cera. But Eisenberg is not in the least a detraction from the movie. In fact, he has more than a few standout moments. One of his funniest moments comes early when we are cleverly introduced to his very first zombie experience when his neighbor in the apartment down the hall bangs on his door claiming to have been bitten by a crazy man. He lets her stay the night, nestled carefully in his arms only to wake in the morning to her rabid attentions. He is forced to defend himself with...a toilet tank lid. He dryly remarks later, "the first girl I let into my life tried to eat me."
Eventually, Columbus encounters Tallahassee, deliciously played by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson, who seems to relish his role in Hollywood as Dennis Hopper's successor, the drug-fueled outsider, is absolutely ideal in the role. Harrelson's Tallahassee is a cantankerous, drunken, gun-toting, Twinkie-obsessed loner with a past. He drives an Escalade that is the machine shop mashup of a NASCAR mechanic and Mad Max, even going so far as to emblazon Dale Earnhardt's famous #3 on every vehicle he rides in. He and Columbus form the expected unlikely and uneasy pair who may or may not last as they travel to the West coast and promised safety. The exchanges between the two are what give most of the movie's its comedic punch and they rarely fail.
Both Tallahassee and Columbus agree to travel together when they encounter two sisters who have also survived the zombie onslaught, Wichita, played by Emma Stone and Little Rock, played by Abigail Breslin of Signs and Little Miss Sunshine fame. The sisters sole goal is to make their way to the site of their happiest memories. There are rumors of safety there as well.
Each of the characters has funny exchanges with each other. It's this four corner comedy cross fire that really marks Zombieland above other zomedies (and perhaps most other comedies). There is the very funny mini-scene between Breslin and Harrelson who, behaving like generational ambassadors, introduce the other to their respective musical influences - Hannah Montana and Willie Nelson.
Zombieland also surprises occasionally with its Apatow-like character involvement. In small, brief moments we either learn very profound things about the characters' past or watch as they bond. Expectedly, Columbus and Wichita flirt but it's oddly effective and never feels out of step with the rest of the movie. The audience knows it's coming but I never minded the inevitable pairing and it never distracted from the comedy.
The movie also knows its genre and movie history references which it clearly appreciates. There is the very fresh zombie reference to Zombie Strippers, for example, as well as sly hints to Vacation and more obvious nods to Deliverance and Ghostbusters. There are very funny appearances of either iconic Hollywood characters or music stars turned zombies throughout. There are secondary characters, shown in flashbacks, that then appear much later in the film randomly and unrelated as zombies. There is one well talked about cameo that is absolutely fantastic. The way the movie then plays with that cameo, it is clear the creators absolutely adore the actor. As a secret nod to the readers, I suggest you stay past the credits.
Zombieland brings together all its elements into its hilarious finale, set in a amusement park. The movie endslike a zany, adrenaline-fed video game, while the characters obviously have grown and learned from the experience. It's a small triumph that a movie so outright funny can also manage to create lovable and endearing characters. The ending also easily lends itself to a sequel, and we'll be there opening night.