Review of Pineapple Express (2008) by Connor B — 16 Oct 2012

Pineapple Express, on the surface looks like another cliché buddy/stoner movie, but the acting and action sequences set this film apart from the rest of them. The movie follows the main character Dale Denton, who is a weed smoking process server, and his drug dealer, named Saul. Dale is played by Seth Rogan and he fits the role perfectly. James Franco plays his dazed and not so smart pot dealer. The story begins after Dale Denton witnesses a murder and goes back to Saul's house to hide out. They both become involved in a turf war between two rival drug kingpins. The film follows the two stoners as they hide in the woods, get into a car chase, and stumble around town, far from sober, trying to get away from the police and the drug dealers who are after them.

The opening scene gives a good idea of the tone of the film and the type of comedy one can expect throughout the film. It begins in 1937, in an underground military bunker where they are testing new products and drugs on monkeys and a few unfortunate soldiers. The camera pans to one cell where a soldier is smoking marijuana, dubbed item-nine by the military. He is asked some simple questions, such as, "how are you feeling Private Miller?" To which the private responds, "I feel like...like a slice of warm butter melting over a bid ol' pile of flapjacks...yeah." He is asked his opinion of the military, which according to him has, "way too many dudes and not enough boobies." This angers a general and he makes a phone call and deems "item-nine" illegal. It was a funny parody of how marijuana became illegal in the United States but some of the jokes came across as childish and immature. The film has its slapstick comedy moments as well. For example, when Saul and Dale get into a fight with Saul's dealer, Red. There is no actual fighting that takes place, instead the three push each other around throwing whatever they can grab at each other including, phones, bongs, and ashtrays. Some of the comedy worked but some of it just didn't land right. A lot of the jokes were very raunchy and left me feeling uncomfortable after hearing them. The amount of profanity in the film was a little bit over the top as well but you have to expect that from a late night comedy such as Pineapple Express. This movie is definitely geared towards teenagers and college students. I found it funny but, in my opinion, the audience needs to be a little older to understand some of the jokes and subject matter. The film is certainly not appropriate for children due to the heavy use of profanity and drug references. Needless to say, Pineapple Express has earned its R rating.

The characters, I thought, were very well acted out and the actors fit their roles perfectly. They all bring their own hilarious one-liners to the film and the timing of the jokes are perfect. James Franco's character, Saul, was my favorite in the film. The way Franco played the dazed pot dealer was perfect. Saul has a very slow thinking process and is very forgetful. This makes it hilarious to watch him interact with other people and do everyday tasks. Saul is always a few seconds behind in any conversation and forgets what people are talking about right in the middle of a sentence. A good scene that illustrates his absent mindedness is in the woods when the two realize they can be traced when they are using their cell phones. Instead of just taking the batteries out of the phones, Saul spews out a list of brilliant ideas that include tying them to an animal as a distraction, building a hot air balloon and escaping the cell coverage, and finally smashing them. Franco's role in the film made him a loveable character because he was always making things worse for the two but he always had good intentions. I will find it hard to take him seriously in another role and will always see him as a stoned drug dealer from this film. Seth Rogan's character was also very funny throughout the film. Although he was a stoner just like Saul, Seth Rogan's character had a little more responsibility than Saul did. While he was with Saul on their high adventures he gradually changes and realizes smoking all the time only makes things worse. He realizes that the majority of their problems stem from them being high. Everything from problems with his girlfriend to missing work all started because he was smoking all the time. Throughout the movie he went from being a stoner just like Saul, to a slightly better member of society. He didn't turn into a perfect law abiding citizen, but at least he realized he needs to change.

The ending of the movie was a huge fight scene between the rival drug lords. It was action packed with explosions, a lot of guns, and some hilarious moments. This is where the film really showed off its special effects. There was a lot of gunplay and explosions that all looked realistic and kept the movie entertaining. The ending left the two gangs almost completely wiped out, yet somehow Dale and Saul made it out unscathed. I was a little disappointed at the very end when the film ended because it was so predictable but it fit the film well and wouldn't have made much sense if they ended on a more serious note.

Overall, Pineapple express is a great comedy that delivers a good cast, great characters, and won't disappoint audiences who are looking to laugh. James Franco and Seth Rogan were perfect for their roles and the timing of their jokes made almost every conversation laughable. The story was fun and easy to follow. The jokes were hit and miss but most of them left me smiling and the fight scenes and action sequences were equally fun to watch and left me laughing. This film is geared towards teens and college students, in my opinion, because of the subject matter and use of language. In my opinion this movie would be enjoyable for anyone who likes late night comedies and slapstick humor. Pineapple express will not disappoint and will leave viewers quoting it weeks after watching the film.