10.11.2009 | 10:43 am

Deeper Into Movies: “Zombieland” (2009)

Zombieland
Columbia Pictures

I’m all for dramas. Deep characters, sensual camera work, period dress — all worthwhile pursuits. But for my money, there’s nothing more satisfying at the cinema than a movie with a healthy appetite for the absurd — and Zombieland is ravenous. The latest entry into the burgeoning horror-comedy genre, Zombieland never slides into the schlock or B-grade self-parody of, say, Lesbian Vampire Killers or Zombie Strippers. Instead, it’s an American answer to Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s brilliant Shaun of the Dead, a keen comedy with hordes of the undead as backdrop.

While Shaun was essentially a romantic comedy, Zombieland is a dystopian-set coming of age tale, centered on a nerdy shut-in (Jesse Eisenberg, playing a, well, Jewish Michael Cera) whose numerous neuroses have made him one of the few survivors of the zombie plague. His rules for living — some 30+ dictums — make for an effective running gag, as does a pitch-perfect Woody Harrelson’s (a baseball bat-toting badass with a hidden heart of gold) hunt for America’s last Twinkie. When the movie gets interesting, though, is when the unlikely pair happen upon two sisters (Superbad and The House Bunny‘s talented Emma Stone and Little Miss Sunshine‘s Abigail Breslin) who shrug them off at first — but gradually learn that four work better than one.

Pop culture references abound, including one particularly genius cameo in the movie’s second act, but the characters’ relationships ring true even as they cruise around America blasting zombies with shotgun shells and indulging in hedonistic property damage. It’s all ridiculous — and played perfectly. The flip-side to the end of the world, Eisenberg’s rules aside, is that real-life responsibilities end, too. Zombieland is a great escape.

More: Deeper Into Movies

More posts about: Deeper Into Movies, Film and Television You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • dee

    Another gratuitous, random reference to Jesse Eisenberg being Jewish? I’m pretty sure that, at this point in the game, every such reference should be accompanied by a mention of the fact that Natalie Portman, Logan Lerman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Rudd and Mila Kunis are also all Jewish. That’s for starters.

    P.S. he’s not “playing a Jewish Michael Cera” because there is zero to no reference of any character’s ethnicity in the film. If he’s Jewish just because the actor is, then the same is true of every single character played by a Jewish actor, ever.

  • http://www.rawkblog.net/ David Greenwald

    1) I’m Jewish, and even if I wasn’t:
    2) There is a long, long history of Jewish comedians and actors who fall within an acknowledged comedic tradition and adhere to certain stylistic elements; if you want to pretend this doesn’t exist, that’s being far more disrespectful than you think I’m being. In this particular case, I meant “Jewish” as shorthand for “Woody Allen-esque.”

  • dee

    1. Figured that, didn’t really care.
    2. Just racism. “Jewish” appears to be the only ethnic group on earth where someone’s behavior or personality somehow automatically makes you a part of that group (and that behavior criteria is getting looser and looser – now you just have to be a douchy nerd). “Woody Allen-esque” is a legitimate comment, just like “W.C. Fields-esque” or “Groucho Marx-esque” are legitimate comments. “Jewish” is not a legitimate comment in this context and it’s not the same thing.