Zombieland

Zombieland is not a movie you should take seriously, but that's why you will enjoy it. Who isn't entertained by people kicking zombie booty?

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Columbus - a college student living in Austin when mad cow disease leads to an infection that turns people into zombies (sounds like PETA invested in writing the script, but that won't stop me from getting a tasty burger this weekend). He lives a sheltered life, easily qualifies as a nerd, and wants to make his way back to Columbus, OH to discover his parents' fate in this apocalyptic video game nightmare become reality. Along the way, Columbus picks up a ride from Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who brings enough machismo and zombie booty kicking ability for the both of them, and they decide to head east together.

When they run across two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), will Columbus and Tallahassee continue their trek east, or be misdirected?

Zombieland is a masterpiece of macabre humor, but this movie is not about the story. Director Ruben Fleischer fantastically captures funny images, provides imaginative zombie vs. human showdowns and just lets Woody Harrelson be Woody Harrelson to make the audience laugh all the way through Zombieland, but that's all this movie is supposed to be.

Did writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick provide something more than the stereotypical oddball outcastes become a non-traditional family story line (with subplot about the nerdy boy trying to win the heart of the hot chick, who is only paying attention to him because he REALLY is the last boy alive on the planet)? Maybe they did, but Fleischer pushes that storytelling stuff out of the way like a woman at a bar shoves me aside if Johnny Depp walks in, so our director can focus on what the audience truly wants to see (people kicking zombie booty with a vengeance). Thankfully for us, Harrelson is well equipped to do the kicking.

Tallahassee is a bigger than life character full of comedic gems mined by an awesome actor like Harrelson. If this character was played by Will Ferrell or Jack Black, either one would make it too silly, too gross, and too obnoxious, but Harrelson knows how to hold back just enough to make Tallahassee likable. Instead of being in our face, Harrelson is outrageous, yet, understated, so he never wears out his welcome. He controls the zaniness and unleashes it at all of the right times, which makes him a good partner for Eisenberg, who is the traditional nerdy, clumsy underdog. It is the classic combination of brains and brawn, with each actor perfecting his role.

Don't make the same mistake I made by running out of the theater as soon as the movie is over. While Zombieland provides a massive, ingenious surprise within the movie, the audience is treated to a funny scene after the final credits have rolled.

Zombieland is rated R for horror violence/gore and language.