movie thoughts: Zombieland (2009)

To survive in Zombieland, you’ve just got to follow a few simple rules:
1. Have a wacky sense of humor
2. Be up on pop culture references from 1980s-present day
3. Be ready to laugh out loud!

Honestly, if you had told me that was going to enjoy a movie with zombies and Woody Harrelson, and I would spend a good hour and a half laughing non-stop – I would not have believed you!  Even with a solid score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, I had my doubts.  I mean, a comedy with zombies? 

It has to be seen to be believed!

Even though they shove Woody Harrelson in your face during the trailers, it is Jesse Eisenberg that is the star of this movie, his deadpan, matter-of-fact delivery of the real rules to surviving in the zombie infested world (#1 – CARDIO!) will make you giggle.  He’s that loner loser that so many of us can identify with, spending his free time cooped up in a dorm room, playing World of Warcraft.  But all that changes after the zombies arrive!  He meets up with Harrelson’s character while trying to get back to his parents in Columbus, OH.  Hilarity ensues.

The best thing about this movie is that it is ridiculous, and it never tries to be anything else.  It’s like “Hey, this movie is about ZOMBIES and it’s gonna be FUNNY! Deal with it.”  It never tries to preach about society’s values; it doesn’t get sidetracked by a love story; it doesn’t spend loads of time trying to explain why this has all happened.  It stays true to it’s mission – to make the audience laugh out loud for as much as possible while our heroes wise-crack their way through a world filled with disgusting, drooling zombies.

Yes, Zombieland is SMART and FUNNY and the kind of movie that you walk out of the theater quoting…and then find yourself quoting it days later.  The jokes range from toilet humor to literary references. 

I don’t want to give too much away.  There are so many jokes and little surprises that make this movie great.  Go see it before you get spoiled. This movie makes my personal top ten list for 2009 – it was that good.

So do your cardio, remember the double tap, and always check the back seat. 

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