Finding Your Place…In Zombieland

Zombieland (2009)

Directed By: Ruben Fleischer

Starring:
Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee
Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus
Emma Stone as Wichita

It is rare to find a film that functions efficiently as both a comedy and a horror film but Zombieland, packed to the gills with laughs galore as well as gory zombie carnage, is just that. Narrated by the slightly neurotic Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the film follows him and professional zombie killer Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as they travel across post-apocalyptic America trying to find…well, I don’t exactly know. Though there is a time when Columbus is hoping to find his family, the film is primarily concerned with them simply surviving in a world they affectionately call Zombieland. After encountering the beautiful Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), they form an unlikely and quirky family (of sorts) that, while heading to an amusement park in California, kills zombies and has fun. For those who are wondering, the answer is “Yes”…yes, that really is all there is to the film’s scant storyline.

Its lack of a fully-functional narrative is both the film’s slight blessing and its primary curse. Though I appreciated the fact that Zombieland did not try to pretend to be anything more than what it was, leaving plenty of room for consistently funny jokes and old-fashioned zombie killin’, I also found myself feeling dragged around with very little reason. Occasionally, this made for an awkward viewing experience; I was laughing the entire time, but could not help but feel as though I was watching an extremely well-done skit comedy show rather than a full-fledged film. Fortunately, I haven’t missed an episode of Saturday Night Live in years and once, however filled with guilt I was at the time, watched numerous reruns of Mad TV on Comedy Central. When executed properly, a film that is all about making people laugh, rather than telling a well-developed story can be surprisingly good…and so it is with Zombieland.

I appreciate actors like Jesse Eisenberg, a thespian who does not need to be loud and bombastic to be noticed. Here, he brings a necessary level of charm and charisma to his bumbling, fumbling, and quietly stumbling character. His understated performance is contrasted by Woody Harrelson’s over-the-top showstopper, in which he kills zombies in all sorts of ways and always has a snappy one-liner before and after. When working together, these two talented actors, aided by witty dialog courtesy of screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are undeniably infectious. Zombieland understands that, in comedy, the delivery is just as, if not more important than the material and is, therefore, equipped with an entirely strong cast, especially one gleeful celebrity cameo that has long since been spoiled (but will not be here, just in case). The cameo, being rather random in terms of who it is (no, George A. Romero does not make an appearance), is shockingly funny and much better if not revealed ahead of time.

In closing, I have an interesting note to share with all of you. The amusement park scenes were filmed at Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. This attraction is approximately two hours from my home and is widely-visited by Georgians. I have only been once and one of my favorite rides happened to be the yellow rollercoaster, Bug Out, which Tallahassee rode while slaying a slew of zombies. The ride is famous for being smaller and slower than usual roller coasters, but being frighteningly fun because of its sharp turns at the top that make it seem as though you are riding right off of the side. I would compare the story propelling Zombieland to this ride. It is not as big or elaborate as most other feature film plots, but it is so good in what it does that its lack of size rarely matters. Just as I did when I rode Bug Out, I had fun while watching Zombieland and would be perfectly happy to experience it again and again.