Cooties
USA 2014
Written by Leigh Whannell & Ian Brennan
Directed by Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion
Watched on 19.09.2015

“Cooties” was hilarious, and so far, I’d say that it was definitely the biggest crowd pleaser of this years /slash Filmfestival. It offered just my kind of humor, and had me laughing my ass of from start to finish. I’s been a long time since I’ve laughed so hard in the cinema. Granted, if you’re easily offended by violence, you should probably skip it. And it’s definitely more comedy than horror, not really offering up much when it comes to tension and suspense. But if you’re just looking for a good time with a movie about teachers fighting off their pupils-turned-bloodthirsty-zombies, you’ve come to the right place.

There were many great gags and funny moments (with an allusion to a certain big role of a cast member definitely getting the biggest laugh), as well as a couple of memorable kills that got cheers from the audience. There also are a couple of really funny dialogues, and much of the humor also stems just from the characters, and/or the dynamics between them. Granted, they’re mostly one-note, and their further development (if any) is quite predictable, but they really worked for me – which is definitely due to a large part to its performers. Rainn Wilson, Allison Pill, Elijay Wood, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad… they’re all great. They might not necessarily play against type, but they fill out their respective roles perfectly. Add to that a small appearance by fan-favorite Jorge Garcia, and you got a movie that definitely owes much of its charm and overall appeal to its cast. What also stood out for me is that “Cooties” isn’t just a succession of gags and jokes. There are a couple of quiet moments that also worked really well, and where they flesh out the characters a little bit (with Wade redeeming himself in one single, great scene, for example). I pretty much loved all of them, in their own way, thus I was really rooting for all of them to get out alive. Also, while some might find the reappearance of a certain, supposedly dead character gutless, I was pleasantly surprised since I thought that they would go into a different direction (which I wouldn’t have liked that much, since it would have been a little too forseeable for me). Overall, I had a blast with this, and I’d definitely recommend it – preferably after a visit to KFC.
9/10

IMDB