Bill Murray's Appearance in Zombieland
Comedian Bill Murray has Cameo with Woody Harrelson in Zombieland
Oct 17, 2009
Many comedy fans love Bill Murray, and why shouldn't they? He's played many hilarious roles in many comedy films that are now considered to be classics. He proved his worth as an actor in Lost in Translation (2003), which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
However, though Murray has appeared in a few box office hits like Get Smart (2008), and has made movies that have satisfied his hardcore fan base like The Life Aquatic (2004), many of his recent films have not performed well in the box office. Coming off of a flop in City of Ember (2008), Murray's brief appearance in the so-far-successful Zombieland should help to reaffirm his fans.
The Movie
Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) is a college kid who is one of the only human survivors in a world inhabited by cannibalistic zombies. He survives by following a list of rules he created, which are displayed on-screen throughout the movie as they're demonstrated, often funnily
By chance, he meets another survivor, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who agrees to travel with him for a short time, and the two establish that they will call each other by the names of their hometowns to avoid becoming too attached. Things get a little more complicated for the two when they're duped by two girls they meet in a grocery store, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
Along the way, there's plenty of zombie killing, plenty of laughs and even a bit of romance.
The film has grossed $55 million so far according to Boxofficemojo.com, which is more than double its production budget, and has an impressive 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Murray
Murray's cameo is definitely a highlight of the already entertaining film. Though his appearance is clearly a promotion for the Ghostbusters franchise-- with the theme song, clips from the film, and a hilarious role-play of the film by our Zombieland characters-- it provides enough laughs to negate the anger one might feel about being targeted by advertisement. (For those who doubt that this advertising was intentional, it should be noted that a Ghostbusters video game was released earlier this year, and the third instalment in the series has been announced for 2012, according to the Internet Movie Database).
Loyal fans of Murray would probably let such a thing pass even if it wasn't well executed.
The film may please movie goers who enjoy horror films; It's likely to have comedy lovers laughing heartily, and it will definitely have Murray fans cheering for more. In short, it is a must-see.
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