20090623

Short Film Review: Zombie-American (2005)



Directed by Nick Poppy, written by Nick Poppy and Ed Helms, and starring Ed Helms.

"Meet Glen. Glen (Ed Helms of The Daily Show) likes to read, do crosswords, and play basketball. He's on the lookout for a girlfriend. Oh, and one other thing-Glen is a Zombie-American. This educational documentary will help audiences understand the challenges zombies face in our society. As a plea for tolerance, it aims to clear up many of the terrible stereotypes and misconceptions we have about zombies. It is the filmmaker's hope that this film will help people understand that zombies are just like everybody else...if everybody else is a walking, talking, rotting corpse."


I love Ed Helms. Actually, since The Daily Show went full-on political a couple of years ago, and lost or stopped using a lot of their great anchors (like Samantha Bee), Helms is one of the few left that I actually like on the show. In this eight and a half minute short, with Helms as a zombie, the mocumentary puts a spin on the age-old zombie tale. It has a few laughs in it, though at times (just like The Daily Show) they seem to be trying too hard. I wonder, actually, if they would have served themselves better by extending its length, allowing more time for them to introduce something deeper than surface laughs. Then again, maybe I'm being too critical on a short film that doesn't even reach nine minutes. You can watch Zombie-American right here at FEARnet. On a side note, Ed Helms was one of the four friends in the fucking hilarious The Hangover.

Best quote: "Another stereotype that's out there is 'all we eat are brains.' Bullshit! I like a ham sandwich now and then."

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