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2 years ago
The Zombieland/Michael Cera Phenomenon
As some of you may already know, I am obsessed with zombie films (not zombies however, the actual concept of zombies scares the crap out of me. It is perhaps WHY I like the movies - they train me to fight the evil ones). Adding to my list of zombie-films-I-have-seen, I watched Zombieland last night. And I noticed something weird.
When Zombieland first came out, the previews, hype, and general discussions seemed to mention Michael Cera’s name or presence. Did he write it? Is he in it? Well it certainly seems he’s in it! Who else is that goofy but lovable guy in the previews. But here’s the thing …
IT’S NOT MICHAEL CERA
He’s, in fact, not involved with Zombieland AT ALL. The actor who plays him is QUITE a resemblance, so much so that it took a good 30 minutes into the film before I said to my viewing partner “That is NOT Michael Cera” to which he responded “yes it is!” and maintained that stance until the end of the film where the credits revealed the “Michael Cera type” was indeed Jesse Eisenberg, a relatively unknown actor.
Here’s a comparison for those of you who are interested:
This is Jesse Eisenberg. Note the curly hair. This is our key difference.
This is Michael Cera, Indie film darling. Note the straight, light brown hair.
I wouldn’t say the resemblance is striking, necessarily, but they are similar. Within the context of the film this similarity grows as Jesse’s mannerisms and voice are near identical to Cera’s quirky acting style.
In exploring this phenomenon, a question arises: was this intentional, and if so, why?
I’m under the impression that this “connection” to Michael Cera, and similar “connections” in many other movies targeted to the 16-20 something age range is entirely intentional. Having Michael Cera involved in your movie is, undoubtedly, a ticket for success these days. Beginning with Superbad, arguable the American Pie of our generation, Cera went on to star in Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Paper Heart, and the recent Youth In Revolt, a film that would not exist if Michael Cera was not involved (the story really does only fit him). His only bombs were Year One and Disaster Movie, both regrettable yet almost ironic steps into “popular comedy” for him. Even these films continue to add to his indie persona “Michael Cera is great, its just these mainstream lameo gross out comedies that make it SEEM like he made a bad choice. It’s totally not his fault.”
And so, in knowing all this, we come to Zombieland. This film was marketed to the same audiences as Michael Cera films. They created a character seemingly MADE for Michael Cera, and even cast and actor who is basically a facsimile of the Cera. This is not a mistake. The men who made this movie KNEW what they were doing. As a result of the Cera bump, the film did incredibly well and gained many followers, whether or not they realized that the film hero was not the Cera.
Eventually however, the Cera bump, especially if its artificial, cannot stay. The films audiences dwindled over time. Even less audiences are grabbing it as a new favorite after it’s recent video release. In the end, Zombieland IS NOT a Cera movie. It is not quirky. It is not indie. Hell, it barely even uphold the tenets of classic zombie-film-ism (Zombies being able to run is a topic for another post, but climbing zombies? WHAT?).
In the end, did I enjoy Zombieland? yes. Did I enjoy is as much as Juno? Hell no. I’m not planning on going out and buying it, and it will be promptly returned to Netflix. It is important to remember, however, in looking at this Zombieland/Michael Cera phenomenon, that as in most things, only the real deal will ever truly cut it.
-mother-
Simply call me mother. I'll teach you well.
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