Boy Eats Girl

I was of course drawn to "Boy Eats Girl" because it is a zombie movie, but also because of the pun title of the movie. And I am a sucker for anything zombie. I watched this movie back in 2005 or 2006, and then decided to revisit it again in 2019 and actually getting around to making a review of it.

While "Boy Eats Girl" is a zombie movie, it wasn't really all that great, and I did remember it as being a funny movie from back around 2005-2006 when I first saw it. I guess my memory of the movie was off. Watching it again in 2019, I can honestly say that the movie is definitely watchable, but it is by no account a great addition to the zombie genre.

There wasn't enough gore and zombie make-up or special effects to keep me properly entertained. I guess I am just way too seasoned when it comes to zombie movies and have a certain standard that I would like movies to have. "Boy Eats Girl" wasn't one such movie.

It pains me to the very core when I see the zombies or infected running around and sprinting. Sure, it makes enough physiological sense when they return from the dead before rigor mortis has set in. But it just doesn't feel right, it is as if that shambling zombie feel is a must for a zombie to be scary for me.

While the characters in the movie were pretty much stereotypical and generic college student, I will say that David Leon was actually the primary force driving the entire movie with his performance, and he was also the one with the more detailed and meaningful character.

For a zombie movie, then "Boy Eats Girl" holds very little aside from a hilarious movie title. If you've seen it once, then chances are slim that you will return to watch it again. I know that I will not be returning again, now that I have my memory refreshed and up to date on the movie.

I didn't expect a whole lot from this movie, and to be honest I didn't get that much. From the onset the movie was pretty tame and I felt the set up was a bit long, I was praying for the carnage to just start already. However once it did, the movie found some very funny moments. The main characters weren't all that compelling but the two comic relief friends Diggs (Tadhg Murphy) and Henry (Laurence Kinlan) did manage to get a few good lines in. The movie had its share of plot holes (quite a few of these were pretty big.)

But on the whole I did find it funny and I was smiling by the end so it wasn't too bad, just nothing to write home about. I felt it tried a little too hard to fit with what are usually American high school stereotypes and could have been a little more homegrown. The over the top gore (which was my whole reason for viewing) was good but the movie ended very quickly and after such a long set up I was a little disappointed. All in all a vaguely entertaining watch with a few (but not enough)laughs.

Boy Eats Girl is the kind of film to watch when you're in a non-committal mood, something that demands only vague attention and which doesn't try to be clever. If you want a horror or a zombie movie then look elsewhere, it's neither nor does it try to be.

It is a comedy, let's get it straight right now, not a zombie film. Romero's legacy to pop culture and the film industry certainly gets a good outing here, but this isn't a film to make gorehounds feel fat and happy, nor will zombie purists find anything to debate over.

A lot of the characters are like those from sappy American Teen comedies but with Irish accents and in situations involving blood and throw-away limbs.

Perhaps this helps: It's California Man with gore.

It entertained me for the short running time (about an hour I made it) and I liked it enough to cough up £5 for it. If you give it a chance as a silly gory comedy, you may well like it too.

"Boy Eats Girl" is an Irish-made romantic zombie comedy ("RomZomCom?") about a high schooler who, when he thinks he's lost the girl of his dreams, commits suicide ... only to end up becoming Patient Zero of a zombie outbreak thanks to his well meaning but misguided mother, who resurrects him from the dead with the help of a voodoo spell book. After reading that description, I'm sure those of you who are looking for a serious zombie movie are already going to look for something else. For those who are still reading, "Boy Eats Girl" was a hilarious horror/comedy treat with -- gasp! -- a sweet side!!

As the film begins, our high school hero Nathan has already got enough problems -- being bullied by the jocks, abused on the rugby field - but when he accidentally misses a chance to tell his long time friend Jessica how he really feels about her, he goes home and hangs himself. Re-awakening the next morning after a last minute "rescue" by his mother, Nathan begins to notice some, errrr, "changes" in his body, chief among them the urge to munch on human flesh. Turns out Mom used a voodoo spell book "borrowed" from the local church to bring Nathan back from the dead... but there was a page missing from the book so she accidentally left out a step. Whoops. Nathan is able to contain his, errr, "appetite" for only so long, until he finally takes a bite out of one of his high school tormentors at a school dance. This, of course, is a bad idea. His victim goes on to bite some people, who then go on to bite some more people, who go on to bite even MORE people, until sure enough, his quaint little Irish village is being overrun by zombies. Even though he may be one of the Undead now, Nathan still doesn't want anything to happen to his beloved Jessica, so he and his two doofus friends race to her family's home to rescue her just before the horde of undead descends upon the place. Hilariously over-the-top mayhem ensues.

It takes a little while for the zombie shenanigans to really get going in "Boy Eats Girl" but once it does I doubt any gorehound will be disappointed. (The scene where Jessica charges into the horde on her father's farm machine is friggin' EPIC!) From then on, the blood and guts, as well as the one liners, come fast and furious. The compact run time (just about 80 minutes) keeps "Boy Eats Girl" from overstaying its welcome, and wraps everything up nicely.

Fans of "Shaun of the Dead" or "Zombieland" should get a few kicks out of "Boy Eats Girl," and the film is a worthy addition to the growing Zombie Comedy genre.

Samantha Mumba brings some spark as the love interest in this Irish teen-zombie flick, and the premise should work - awkward teen Nathan accidentally zombifies his school after a botched resurrection, forcing his crush Jessica to navigate gory hallways and undead hormones. There's charm in the suburban Irish setting (imagine Shaun of the Dead but with uniformed teens and more rain). A few gags land, like Nathan's mom obliviously serving "special" meatloaf or a zombified jock still flexing in a mirror.

But it's a shambles of missed opportunities. The satire on teen angst and conformity feels toothless - no real jab at clique mentality or authority figures, just splatter and slapstick. The gore's restrained to PG-13 levels, draining the fun from what should be chaotic, irreverent carnage. Characters make baffling choices (why is the principal still enforcing detention during an apocalypse?), and the tone wobbles between dark comedy and half-hearted romance without committing. It's neither scary nor sharply funny, just... there.

The Verdict: Harmless for forgettable. Fails to ignite as satire, horror, or romance. Watch Shaun instead.