Minute44 - Dan Schonhaar

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco

Dale Denton (Rogen) and Saul Silver (Franco) star as customer and drug dealer respectively as they must try to save their own lives after witnessing a murder where even the police are involved in this kind of clever but not clever at all laugh riot.

I really hadn’t heard anything about this movie until I read Keira Anne’s review where she said it was very funny and much more than just a stoner comedy. I would normally have my reservations about a statement like that, especially given the outline of the plot and the trailers, but I trusted what Keira said about Pineapple express because… well she doesn’t seem like a brain dead stoner defending a movie that could only make you laugh after smoking enough pot to (quoting the film) make your eyes as red as the devil’s dick. It was not only this review however, that made me want to see this movie. My former housemate Mr. Reed told me yesterday that it was amazingly funny, and let’s not forget it’s from the same guys who brought us Superbad, a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.

So I gave it a shot and I have to agree 100% with Keira Anne about the first half hour of the movie. It really did seem like just a standard stoner comedy with only a few minor chuckles. After that initial 30 minutes, however, this movie gets a hell of a lot funnier and more than redeems itself in terms of plot as well as humour. Seth Rogen’s direct, foul mouthed humour makes me laugh just as much as it did in Superbad and Knocked Up and James Franco in a comedy role makes a super refreshing change after watching him play a wholely un-funny mental rich boy in the SpiderMan trilogy. Supporting cast are pretty damned funny too with most of the cast of Superbad returning in slightly different, yet equally entertaining roles.

Saul: Just sit back and get ready to enjoy some of the rarest weed known to mankind.
[he lights a joint and inhales]
Dale Denton: It’s really that rare?
Saul: [exhales] It’s, like, the rarest.
[he examines the joint]
Saul: It’s almost a shame to smoke it. It’s like killing a unicorn…with, like, a bomb.

Was it superbly acted? No. Were the direction, cast or effects Oscar worthy? No. But that’s never been what this kind of movie is about. These movies are meant for one thing. To make you laugh and in that capacity Pineapple express is a big success, I’d say just as funny as Superbad and with characters that will gain popular acclaim in the same way Ron Burgundy has.

I’ve got a lot of time for the Apatow brand of comedy. It’s a well needed breath of fresh air after the American Pie era (what are they on now, American pie 14: Stiffler’s great great grand son goes on a cruise?). None of these movies have spawned sequels which is excellent. As much as I’d love to see an Anchorman 2 I know for a fact it could never measure up to the original. Finally a filmmaker seems to have grasped the concept of quit while you’re ahead. I’d much rather see 15 movies with different stories and characters than countless sequels any day.

So in closing, if you’re feeling slightly down and need a good cheering up, Pineapple Express is the movie for you. Hell, even if you’re already in a good mood, go and see it, you’ll still laugh.

Verdict: