All American Zombie Drugs

• USA • 2010 • 99m •

• Directed by: Alex Ballar. • Starring: Beau Nelson, Wolfgang Weber, Susan Graham, Natalie Irby, Alex Ballar, Bobby Burkey, David Reynolds, Aidan Bristow, Russ Cootey, Brian Thomas Smith, Dennis Bover, Jeremie Loncka, Stanton Prescott Hunter. • Music by: Evan Goldman.

Vinny and Sebastion, two burnouts, going nowhere in small town suburbia and still riding the high of their high-school days, start a business doing the only thing they have ever excelled at...drugs. With the help of a jealous girlfriend and a rich goth chick, Vinny and Sebastion take on the mob, angry, geeky, frat-boys, and zombies in the search of the perfect high.

Trailers:

Length:

Languages:

Subtitles:

Trailer

2:30

Review:

Image from: All American Zombie Drugs (2010)

"All American Zombie Drugs," written and directed by Alex Ballar, falls into the category of social commentary comedy, and I say that so that you don't go into it thinking that you're going to see a horror comedy along the lines of "Shaun of the Dead." While there are several jump-scares and plenty of nods to the genre both in plot and effects, the heart of this story lies in the comedy it mines from the funny that life creates all on its own.

Best friends Vinny and Sebastion (played by Wolfgang Weber and Beau Nelson, respectively) are a couple of burnouts who live their lives in a drug-induced haze. Though laying around an apartment, taking hits off the communal bong, and occasionally wandering outside in search of some chili cheese fries seems like a pretty easy life to say the least, the pair are not without their personal issues. Vinny is plagued by visions of his brother Michael (played by Alex Ballar) who died from a drug overdose and tries to get Vinny to give up drugs and avoid the path that he himself took. Sebastion is a narcoleptic who humps anything and anyone in his sleep, thinking that he is having sex with various women. Unfortunately, none of the women that he dreams about dry-humping (sleep-humping?) are his girlfriend Kara (played by Susan Graham), so she is angry and hurt by his (sort-of) infidelity. Add to this a general lack of cash-flow, and soon access to weed, munchies, and a roof over their heads appears to be coming to an abrupt end.

What to do? Give up drugs and get a job? Oh hell, no! Vinny and Sebastion devise a plan to run their own business: drug dealers! All they have to do is create a new drug that gives a user the perfect high, and they will be rolling in the dough. But first, they need an investor to help them buy the necessary materials. Enter Kara's friend, goth-chick Melissa (played by Natalie Irby) who lives in her rich parents' house with access to their money and a more than passing interest in Vinny. Soon enough, the foursome has invented a potent drug that becomes all the local rage. But as time goes on, the side effects get stranger and stranger.

"All American Zombie Drugs" has a lot going for it. A tight ensemble cast at its core brings believability to their characters. While we can laugh at their antics and the situations that they get themselves into, not a single one of the main four characters ever devolves into a cartoon character. This isn't Cheech and Chong. It's smart comedy with realistic performances. Also aiding in that believability is Ballar's subtle writing and evenhanded directing. At no point do you feel like someone is bashing you over the head with an after-school special. Add to the mix a plethora of quirky side characters, from mobsters to high school nerds to college frat boys, and you've got a funny and entertaining 99 minutes.

Review by Terri Wilson
from the Internet Movie Database.

Release Anniversaries

Movie Database

Movies By Year: