Best use of cliché ever!

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2005)

2004. Me and a friend. This movie had intrigued me, since it promised to be scary and funny. The only actor I had heard of was Bill Nighy. Nonetheless, we turned up and saw one hell of a great movie.
To start on a somewhat negative note, the film is very clichéd. The film's plot seems uninspired. It interweaves the average romcom plot (loser tries to sort out his life with the help of his funny friend) with the typical horror plot (a small group of people try to survive the undead onslaught). But it's done in such a way that it manages to be entertaining. The generic rom-com characters are pulled off in such a way by the players that it doesn't feel like you've seen it a thousand times before, though you have
Simon Pegg shines as the eponymous hero, although the best performance comes from newcomer Nick Frost, in his role as Ed, the ultimate "useless sidekick to hero" romcom stereotype. He farts, admits that he loves Shaun's mum, deals drugs, plays TimeSplitters and does bugger-all. As a result he gets the best lines.
Despite the fact that the whole movie, in a certain light, seems boring, it has some great zombie action - the most memorable being "the backyard" scene. It also has the best references to horror movies, making light of everybody from Dario Argento to Lucio Fulci, from George Romero to Sam Raimi. This has all the makings of a cult classic and I suggest you seek it out if you want something funny.