Pineapple Express: Review By JT's Movie Page

The Pineapple Express Review

By J.T. Johnson

Directed By: David Gordon Green

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny R. McBride, Craig Robinson, and Gary Cole

Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, and Co. bring you their latest comedy in the form of an action/comedy, The Pineapple Express. This time, Seth Rogen plays Dale Denton, a stoner who witness a murder and with the help of his friend, Saul (Franco), they try to outrun the drug dealers who are after them.

Seth Rogen and James Franco have great chemistry together. They each have good comedic timing and you really believe that their customer/dealer relationship evolves into a friendship based on their strengths as actors.Whether it is Rogen playing a frantic, scared Denton or James Franco playing the completely incompetent Saul, you will find great humor between these two pot-smoking buddies.

The supporting cast is not bad, either. Rosie Perez and Gary Cole are effective as the villains of the piece and turn in good performances as cliched villains out to get Denton and Saul. Craig Robinson, who is familiar as the bouncer of the night club from Knocked Up, is also funny as one of the men sent to kill Denton and Saul. It is Danny McBride, however, that is wonderful as Red, a duplicitous drug deal that either helps or hinders Saul and Denton along the way. McBride's performance is so funny that he almost upstages Rogen and Franco in every scene they have together.

There is, however, one problem with film. The story of the film plays out as if a Cheech and Chong film and Dumb and Dumber collided together and The Pineapple Express was the result of that collision. The film is way out there and, at times, I was taken out of the movie by some of its more impossible scenes. What made films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, and Knocked Up great was the fact that their stories were grounded in reality. This reality is completely lost in this film and sorely missed. Also, the jokes are funny, but it is the jokes that come completely out of nowhere that are usually the funniest. It seemed to me that the filmmakers realized that the plot of the story was weak and looked to the jokes that would have ended up on the cutting room floor for support.

This film, while not as funny as The 40-Year-Old Virgin or Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's earlier entry, Superbad, is still funny enough to watch but a little bit of a letdown nonetheless because of its scenes that take you out of the movie and make you ask what the hell just happened rather than having you on the floor dying of laughter. The film is ultimately saved by its supporting characters, Rogen and Franco's chemistry onscreen, and the unexpected jokes that are just thrown in and would have been deleted otherwise. In the end, if you are still looking for something to brighten your day after watching the more serious The Dark Knight, then The Pineapple Express is a good alternative.

3 / 5 Stars - Good