Zombieland

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are coming to see me today and they're not bringing flowers which just makes it real difficult to get organized."

Four strangers are thrown together as they all go about their buisness amidst a zombie apocalypse.

I have heard it said that when it comes to movies I suffer from a lack fun. An alleged inability to appreciate movies that are suppose to be fun, and little else. To these people (who obviously don't know me very well) I now have the perfect argument: Zombieland.
It's a difficult task to craft a story that's meant to just be a good time. Your characters have to have enough heart that the viewer form some kind of connection, yet be ridiculous enough to blend in with the environment. If they're too interesting then you risk the audiences disappointment that their story wasn't more serious. Not interesting enough, and who cares. Zombieland straddles these lines perfectly. We care about what happens to the characters, but not enough to care how important or dramatic it is- leaving us free to enjoy the ridiculous situations.
It's four characters (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone of recent Five!! fame) gel in an intentionally awkward way. Really it's their off beat chemistry that makes the movie work- which I guess is fitting seeing as they're 80% of the non-zombie cast. Eisenberg plays a beautiful straight man as the main character and narrator. I find myself imagining a celebrity death match battle between him and Michael Cera. Seriously though, they must constantly be vying for the same roles, I fear what would happen were this overlap in type castings to come to blows.
This is the second feature film from director Ruben Fleischer, and I will definitely have an eye on his next project- if only out of thanks. More exciting is this movie as proof that the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are good for quality feature films, since they're writers being considered for the Venom spin-off marvel is pondering- but I digress. There is no part of Zombieland that is worth missing, especially a story arc I dare not spoil for those who haven't seen it. Not since Shaun of the Dead have I laughed so hard at a monster comedy. And believe me, any movie I'm willing to mention in the same breath as Shaun of the Dead must be worth it.
Reel Deal Recommends:
Cursed: Another tongue in cheek monster movie with Jesse Eisenberg
Kingpin: How could I mention Woody Harrelson and not mention Kingpin?
Definitely, Maybe: For an underseen movie and Abigail Breslin doing what she does best.
Superbad: Because I laughed, was ashamed and then laughed again. And because it put Emma Stone on the map.