Film Reviews

Pineapple Express

• Rating:
• Director: David Gordon Green
• Starring: Danny R. McBride
• Details: USA / 111mins / (16)

Seth Rogen continues his winning streak with this Cheech and Chong-inspired action/comedy, which co-stars fellow Freaks and Geeks alumni James Franco. Rogen plays Dale, a court subpoena server who spends most of his free time (and work time) smoking pot. After picking up a batch of the extremely rare Pineapple Express cannabis at his drug dealer/quasi-friend Saul's (Franco) place, he heads back to work - only to witnesses a local crime boss execute a rival gang member. Panicking, he legs it back to Saul's and the twosome go on the run to avoid an impending clipping. What follows is a not-entirely-coherent, but hugely satisfying comedy that offers up plenty of laughs, and some surprisingly visceral violence. Sidekick Franco offers a performance here that is easily the best mainstream stuff he's done since 'Geeks' ended, and shows an unexpected comedic vigour that evidently only the Apatow crew knew he had in the locker. He's seemingly more at home in this type of role than any of the sub-par action films that he had been headlining, since Hollywood realised he had the talent to back up the James Dean exterior. But this is Rogen's film, and his abrasive, sharp dialogue always feels fresh; it's another highly amusing turn from the newly-crowned comedy prince. Support is offered by a scene-stealing Danny McBride as Saul's supplier, who has some of the best lines in the movie: "You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos, motherf**ker" providing a particular pick from a stellar bunch of requotable gems. Sure, there's a subplot involving Dale's barely-legal girlfriend, that appears at first to be an integral part of proceedings but doesn't go anywhere, and certain sections may move a little too slowly for some. But overall, this is another predictably hilarious comedy from the Apatow crew, that may just find a bigger cult audience than anything else they've churned out so far.

Review by Mike Sheridan