Neo-Screwball

What do I remember about seeing Zombieland (2009, Ruben Fleischer) 10 years ago in a theater? Not much, except that foremost it seemed unique at the time for being a gory horror comedy with big name actors released by a major studio. That and the surprise Bill Murray cameo.

     It’s not surprising that a big studio made Zombieland. It’s fun, clever, and has heart. But is it cinema?

     As a big fan of the screwball comedies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, and particularly those of Lubitsch, Cukor and Hawks, I also find myself asking if Zombieland 2: Double Tap (2019, Fleischer) is a screwball comedy disguised as a zom-com? To begin with, Emma Stone could be the Katherine Hepburn of her generation—Hepburn being likely the most talented actress of the screwball genre. Like Hepburn, Stone isn’t conventionally sexy, but on-screen something magnetic about her proves she can be. It’s part of that something that makes her a star. Yet I doubt she has the capacity for Hepburn’s skills when it comes to broad and physical types of performance. Or maybe that just comes down to popular styles having evolved.

     The chemistry between COLUMBUS (Jesse Eisenberg) and WICHITA (Stone) forms the arc of Zombieland 2’s narrative. And that chemistry is strengthened by the addition of Zoey Deutch as MADISON. At first I wondered why Madison’s stereotypical Paris Hilton blonde ditz with pink Juicy Couture tracksuit feels like it’s from 10 years ago, before realizing in the Zland universe the apocalypse occurred 10 years ago. And a shallow stereotype is a staple of the screwball genre, so I’m not detracting from the addition of her character. She might be the best thing going for Zombieland 2.

     There’s also the quick pace, wit, and irony of the dialogue. Zombieland was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also wrote Deadpool (2016, Tim Miller) and both of their respective sequels. The style to be found in these movies is crafted around a meta, first-person v.o. filled with sarcasm and pop-culture references. Is Deadpool our modern equivalent of the type of comedy that would have been written by the Algonquin group of the 1920s? If that seems like a stretch, consider the lack of esteem those movies had with their contemporaries—the Manhattan highbrow literary set.

     So after the broad comedy, fast pace and witty dialogue, there’s the theme of family, which gives form to the narrative, but is also where things end up feeling like generic Hollywood sentimental crap. Seriously, the zombies aren’t really that big a part of this movie y’know? They get killed so quickly, and like they’re just there and the movie’s never about what to do about them other than survive. So back to where I started, if you’re looking for a smart, fun, screwball comedy, you’ll find the entertainment you’re after.