Zombieland (2009)

A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.

Director:

Ruben Fleischer

Writers:

Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Stars:

Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jesse Eisenberg	...	Columbus
Woody Harrelson	...	Tallahassee
Emma Stone	...	Wichita
Abigail Breslin	...	Little Rock
Amber Heard	...	406
Bill Murray	...	Bill Murray
Derek Graf	...	Clown Zombie

Storyline

Searching for family. In the early twenty-first century, zombies have taken over America. A shy and inexperienced college student in Texas has survived by following his 30 rules: such as "look in the back seat," "double-tap," "avoid public restrooms." He decides to travel to Ohio to see if his parents are alive. He gets a ride with a boisterous zombie-hating good-old boy headed for Florida, and soon they confront a young woman whose sister has been bitten by a zombie and wants to be put out of her misery. The sisters were headed to an LA amusement park they've heard is zombie free. Can the kid from Ohio get to his family? And what about rule thirty one?

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Plot Keywords:

zombie | amusement park | twinkie | travel | texas | 

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Taglines:

Our land is their land.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence/gore and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tierra de zombies

Filming Locations:

One Park Place B5, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,240,984 (UK) (9 October 2009)

Gross:

$75,590,286 (USA) (11 December 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Pariah

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The puppy that Woody Harrelson is seen playing with in a flashback belongs to Abigail Breslin.

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Goofs

When the girls run to get on the tower of terror ride the harnesses are up on three seats. When the ride starts to rise all three harnesses are down, including the harness on the empty seat. All harnesses must be down for most rides to run.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Columbus: Oh, America. I wish I could tell you that this was still America, but I've come to realize that you can't have a country without people. And there are no people here. No, my friends. This is now the United States of Zombieland.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, there is a scene between Bill Murray and Tallahassee. Tallahassee attempts to re-create a Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) scene from Caddyshack. Bill Murray then complements him by doing the scene correctly.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Emma Stone/Kings of Leon (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Opening"

User Reviews

Will undoubtedly become a cult classic

Arguably one of the finest horror comedies of all time is Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead, and since its release in '04, there have been a good number of wannabes. Based on the trailers for Zombieland, however, I thought that the film had some serious potential to match Shaun in terms of quality, possibly even usurp it. Having seen the film, I'm happy to say that Zombieland does just that.

Unlike many comedies in recent memory, in which the majority of laughs are already provided by the trailer, Zombieland is filled to the brim with laugh-out-loud moments, thanks largely to the brilliant cast. Eisenberg is awesome as the main protagonist, Columbus, portraying that sense of vulnerability and awkwardness, without becoming too Michael Cera-like. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are also terrific as the sweet, yet tough Wichita and the more-mature-than-she-seems Little Rock, respectively.

The real stand-out performance, though, is Woody Harrelson as the Twinkie-lovin', zombie-hatin' Tallahassee. Next to that of Woody Boyd on Cheers and Frasier, this is definitely the best performance of his career. There's also a painfully hilarious cameo appearance about mid-way through the film that would be a crime to spoil. Suffice it to say, this is – hands-down – the best cameo that I've ever seen in a film.

The most surprising aspect of Zombieland, to me, is how much heart there is. All of the characters feel warm and alive, and what drama there is to be found feels extremely sincere. Ultimately, you feel invested in the story and the characters, which – I think – is the most important thing any film of any genre can do.

Zombieland has instantly become a horror favorite of mine (comedic or otherwise). The – for the lack of a better word – quotable dialogue, consistently hysterical tone, and endearing characters, all come together to create a film that will undoubtedly become a cult classic.