Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun is a terrible boyfriend, a so-so son and a disaster in an emergency, and that’s the whole joke. The world ends and he walks to the corner shop and back without noticing a single thing. Simon Pegg plays him like a guy who has been on autopilot since college, and Nick Frost’s Ed is the friend everyone has and nobody should. Edgar Wright edits it like a music video, plants every gag early so it pays off later, and makes the local pub the most important building in London. The argument over which records are worth throwing is perfect. The last act swerves from silly to genuinely sad, and that shift is a little rough. It made $32.6 million worldwide on a reported $6 million budget, which is the least interesting number about it. A 9.1 because it’s a great zombie movie and an even better comedy about growing up a decade late. $94 says you argue with someone this week about which records you’d be willing to throw.

What works: Every joke gets set up early and paid off later, Pegg and Frost have real best-friend chemistry, and the pub fight set to Queen is a classic.

What doesn’t: The tonal shift into real grief late in the movie lands a bit awkwardly, and Liz is written thinner than the guys around her.

Who it’s for: People who like their zombie movies funny and their comedies with a heart, plus anyone who has ever lived with an Ed.