‘As We Know It’ Review: A Horror Comedy Light on Both Comedy and Horror
I love to spotlight a diamond in the rough. And after checking out the promising trailer for Josh Monkarsh’s As We Know It, I was really hopeful this zombie comedy would fit that bill. After screening the flick, I can’t quite say it achieves that distinction. The picture is average in its best moments and downright dull in its worst. There are bits and pieces of the flick that show a certain amount of promise. But the collective whole is a disappointment.
As We Know It follows best friends, Bruce (Oliver Cooper) and James (Mike Castle) as they attempt to ride out the zombie apocalypse at James’ Los Angeles home. The duo is joined on their quest by Emily (Taylor Blackwell), James’ ex. Matters eventually prove complex when Emily and James realize each still has feelings for the other.
My biggest issue with As We Know It is that the film doesn’t do any one thing exceedingly well. That is especially apparent in the picture’s feeble attempts at comedy. The jokes and banter between the characters are rarely funny. And that’s a challenging place for a horror comedy to exist. Particularly a horror comedy that isn’t all that heavy on horror.
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The zombie action is almost presented as an afterthought. It effectively serves as a backdrop for the central focus of the feature, which is the characters. But, the characters aren’t particularly well fleshed out and never manage to come across as accessible. Their banter reads as inauthentic and stilted. And the dynamic between each of the characters comes across as manufactured. They never reach the point of actually feeling like real friends.
In the lulls between the zombie carnage, we are expected to subsist on what feels like artificial tension between the core cast members. And that rarely yields impressive results. Case in point, the conflict that arises from the realization that Bruce and Emily once hooked up isn’t at all believable. The very idea that those two characters would get together in the first place is a stretch but James’ reaction makes that storyline even more difficult to get behind. James says he’s upset but his mannerisms are robotic to the point that his claims never feel the least bit genuine.
There are several plot points that I had a similar reaction to. Often, narrative developments transpire to move the story along. But said developments frequently feel illogical, out of place, or disingenuous.
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As We Know It attempts to win over audience members with self-referential jokes and allusions to pop culture. But it’s rarely effective. There are a number of meta references to zombie movies that aren’t funny or useful. In fact, none of the name drops are particularly germane to the film and they lack the witty commentary served up by superior offerings. For instance, there is a great deal of time dedicated to celebrating Waterworld as an underappreciated masterpiece. But that doesn’t do anything to move the narrative along and never adds any value to the proceedings. The entire bit seemingly just exists as filler and is eventually abandoned.
Also inexplicable is the way the picture is set in the ‘90s but never really puts that distinction to effective use. There are only a couple of references that even reveal the film’s vintage. One is a line about The Yellow Pages. But there is so much more that makes that era memorable. A few effective callbacks to the time period in which the proceedings are unfolding might have given the flick a little more oomph. But as presented, the utilization of the ‘90s setting feels like another missed opportunity.
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Also, don’t let the poster fool you. While Chris Parnell and Pam Grier appear on the poster art like they are core characters, each is only onscreen for maybe five minutes. Their presence is part of what sold me on the film. So, I guess that makes their inclusion on the one sheet effective marketing but I was bummed that neither actually appears in a substantial role.
Ultimately, As We Know It isn’t a terrible film. But it doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. The slow pace and lack of zombie action or quality comedy make this effort an unfulfilling viewing experience. However, if you’re keen to check it out for yourself, the picture is currently playing in select U.S. cities.
Summary
‘As We Know It’ is dull and lacks compelling characters.
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