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2008
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PINEAPPLE
EXPRESS
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STARRING:JAMES
FRANCO,SETH ROGEN,DANNY McBRIDE,KEVIN CORRIGAN,CRAIG ROBINSON,GARY
COLE,ROSIE PEREZ,AMBER HEARD
STORY
BY JUDD APATOW,EVAN GOLDBERG & SETH ROGEN
SCREENPLAY
BY EVAN GOLDBERG & SETH ROGEN
PRODUCED
BY JUDD APATOW & SHAUNA ROBERTSON
DIRECTED
BY DAVID GORDON GREEN
GENRE:ACTION/COMEDY
RATED:AUSTRALIA:MA/UK:15/USA:R
RUNNING
TIME:111 MIN
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After
taking on the sex comedy with The
40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked
Up, the sports comedy with Talladega Nights,
and the teen comedy with Superbad,
writer/director/producer Judd Apatow sets his sights on the buddy
action comedy with Pineapple Express.
After a 1930's set black and white prelude mocking the origins of
the illegality of marijuana (which features an in form Bill Hader),
the viewer is introduced to Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) a process server
who smokes pot in order to numb his dour existence. His only friend
is his drug dealer Saul Silver (James Franco), whose ambition to become
a civil engineer is constantly held back for his love of getting high.
After Saul hooks up Dale with a rare breed of bud named Pineapple
Express, Dale finds himself in the unfortunate position of witnessing
the cities top drug lord (Gary Cole) and his dirty cop partner (Rosie
Perez) killing a member of the competition. Frantically leaving the
scene Dale returns to Saul and in a fit of marijuana paranoia they
decide it best to go on the run, making the film a Midnight
Run meets Cheech and Chong with a
hint of Dumb and Dumber (make that High and Higher)
buddy comedy. On their tail are an eccentric pair of hitmen played
well by Kevin Corrigan and the exceptionally funny Craig Robinson.
Cinema has had it fun with stoners before, with Brad Pitt's hilarious
turn in True Romance and Jeff Bridges' The Dude in The
Big Lewbowski two obvious examples. Unfortunately Pineapple
Express fails to reach the comedic heights found in those two
films due to its uneven direction, its unlikeable characters, and
its contradictive preaching about drug use.
The majority of the films comedy relies on the fact that Dale and
Saul are two brain dead morons, but that is also its weakness since
neither character draws sympathy or empathy for their plight. Dale's
idiocy driven holier than thou attitude towards his drug use combined
with the fact that he is dating a high school girl (played by Amber
Heard) does not warrant much compassion, and Saul's insistence that
his being a drug dealer is for a good cause (keeping his Nanna in
a nursing home) fails to register considering his obvious talent and
passion for architecture which surely could open some doors for him
in the industry, if he were not stoned all the time. Plus, watching
the two gleefully sell drugs to a group of 13 year olds does not help
matters.
Regardless of the character of these characters, they are played well
by Franco -in his most animated performance thus far - and Rogen,
the big buffoon following the footsteps of the three John's (Belushi,
Candy, and Goodman) whilst playing the role of unlikely action hero
(a warm up for his upcoming turn as The Green Hornet).
Unlike other action/comedy films, Pineapple Express does not
underplay the "action" part of the equation, with several
funny as hell "fight" scenes displaying a unique style of
sloppy slapstick which drew more laughs than the films dialogue (a
3 way fight between Franco, Rogen, and Danny McBride is a highlight).
However, director David Gordon Green - an unusual choice considering
his drama heavy filmography - cannot get a handle on the films violence,
opting for more instead of less. Thus the more violent the film becomes
the less appealing it is to watch.
The film's final sour note is the hypocrisy in its message to make
pot legal. Rogen -both in the film and real life - cannot help but
launch into Bill Hick's style rants about the benefits of drug use,
which would make sense if he were not acting like an idiot whilst
high. Usually Judd Apatow's films speak of the need to grow up and
take responsibility, and a key scene in Pineapple Express does
touch on this issue. However this time that message is lost in a glorification
of drugs and violence, hence Pineapple Express is a film aimed
for the stoners of the world who would not know good taste if they
smoked it, since according to Rogen "Pot makes s**t films seem
better". If that is the case all you potheads out there better
order a new bong for the DVD release. |
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