#5: Zombieland
When I first saw the trailer for this, I thought it was going to be really stupid. (Though I still think that trailer makes it look really stupid.) But I kept hearing reviews that, against the trailer-appraising skills that I pride myself on, it wasn't all that bad. And so, eventually, a couple friends and I actually got around to seeing it, the first movie I'd seen since I moved to LA. My expectations were low (always a plus) but I was nonetheless quite surprised to learned that Zombieland was, in fact, awesome. Sometimes a movie just needs to be fun. And if that fun movie is also really funny, then you're in business.
The trailer is also misleading in that it portrays Woody Harrelson as the lead when it's actually Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg's character (known only as Columbus in the film) even narrates the story, lending his Wedding Crashers-esque rules of zombie survival as a framework. Eisenberg's character, though mostly a standard stock one, is played with such humor and authenticity that he's easy to like and identify with. Harrelson is, however, a great addition, a peculiar mix of badass and softie that plays really well against Eisenberg. When this pair meets a couple of sisters (Emma Stone and an uneven Abigail Breslin*) who are basically [MINI SPOILER ALERT] con-artists [END MINI SPOILER ALERT] the amalgam of personalities is complete and there's the slowly and well-developed idea that a few people (who in the real world would never even interact) can become almost family in this horrific, zombie-infested world--or, for those non-zombie-world-people like us, that you can have great relationships with unexpected people under the right circumstances.
* That's right, I'm insulting ten year-olds**. Get over it.
** I just learned she's actually 13. And, yes, I realize I could've just altered the first asterisk.
Zombieland borrows a lot from the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg films (the premise is more or less from Shaun of the Dead and it's structurally very similar to Hot Fuzz with its extended action sequence endings) but it's very fresh, not feeling like any sort of a retread. Tonally it's very consistent, never forgetting that it is a comedy about zombies but also taking advantage of that in a way that only makes the film stronger. For example, when Woody and Jesse (still Zombieland, not Toy Story 2) stumble upon something that makes Woody say, "Thank god for rednecks!" (I didn't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it) it is silly, but the tone of the film admits that and makes it a joke in its own right. Not to say that it completely ignores the heavy feelings of being some of the last people on earth, but it acknowledges them in a way that doesn't feel like you've suddenly started watching a whole new movie. I'll give a lot of the credit here to a strong, clever script with well-thought out details (for example, the "little things" as they're called in the movie).
I saw it again recently, and liked it a little less, this time knowing exactly what I was getting into, but it is definitely a well-made, stylistic, really funny film. There are some droughts of laughter that were a tad longer than I remember, but the good sequences (the extended cameo in the middle just kills from start to finish for example) more than make up for it. The three adult leads are all great, and even little Abby Bres does have some really good lines (like the one at the bottom of the page).
There is a rumor that a sequel is in the works to explore the future of these same characters. I don't always love the idea of sequels, but I think that there's a lot left to see in this world and I give the prospect my endorsement (which I believe is all they were waiting for).
Back soon with a more in-depth review of #4.
"No! She's only famous when she's Hannah Montana! She's only famous when she's wearing the wig!" - Little Rock
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