Kids today. Can anyone understand their love lives? Take Julie. She’s smart, sweet and has her whole life in front of her. The guy she pines for is so, you know, dead.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes the movie “Warm Bodies,” a zombie romance where teens living and lurching through an apocalyptic wasteland manage to find common ground even though only one of them has a pulse. Yes, that sounds sort of ridiculous, but it’s actually a cute and clever movie. It comes out Friday; we met lead actor Nicholas Hoult, who plays the mumbling and stumbling R, and actress Teresa Palmer, who plays Julie, during their visit to Atlanta last week.

“It’s a refreshing take on the zombie genre,” said Palmer, known for roles in “I Am Number Four” and “Take Me Home Tonight.” “The characters feel very grounded in reality. Julie is a strong, independent woman. She’s sassy and brave. I wanted to portray a character like that.”

Hoult, known for roles in “About a Boy” and “X-Men: First Class,” doesn’t have much in the way of dialogue (although he does supply a darkly humorous voice-over narration), so he had to learn to emote with jerky moves.

“I watched a lot of zombie movies in preparation of this,” he said. “We did some zombie practice to figure out how they would walk. It was a nice challenge. Tricky. You have to think in a different form than I normally would.”

Unfortunately, he got a little too into character at times.

“We made the stupid decision to not have him blink very much,” Hoult said. “I had dry eyes.”

It’s hard not to notice the obvious allusion to “Romeo and Juliet.” R and Julie pursue a forbidden romance. There’s even a balcony scene.

“I love the quirky twist of that classic love story,” Palmer said. “It’s sort of surreal to be in a movie where we are paying homage to the greatest love story ever.”

The great John Malkovich plays it straight as Julie’s dad, who commands the barricaded city where non-zombies have fled for safety.

“Working with John Malkovich was so fun,” Palmer said. “I was very nervous. I thought, ‘Who am I to be in a film with John Malkovich?’ He became someone I could go to for advice. I felt very happy to be around him. It was like going to the best acting school possible.”

Hoult, who will be seen in the title role in this spring’s “Jack the Giant Slayer,” said it was amusing to watch himself in zombie mode on the big screen.

“It’s always odd watching yourself,” he said. “The more you physically change, the farther you are from yourself, the easier it is to watch.”

He also noted that a movie that tinkers so greatly with the zombie genre could have run aground.

“We could have ended up with a lot of egg on our face,” he said.

Palmer is proud of the work.

“This movie teaches us that love heals,” she said. “Love can breathe life back into you again. Despite how dismal your circumstances are, there’s always hope. Love can really save you.”