TGWTG User Blogs

Ahoy-hoy friends, once again I return for another edition of Just for Laughs. Before I start my review however, I want to acknowledge and thank the staff here for including me in their Best of Blogs. I hope to win, but I'm against stiff competition. I wish luck to coldguy, Prodigs, estefan, Mindgame, Daffy, and Raistlinhawke, and congratulations to them all. You can view their works by clicking on their names. I refuse to start mudslinging and pandering, and I hope that for those voting in the contest to pick the person who's work they feel can be the biggest asset to the site. Truly, and honestly.

But vote for me or all the puppies in the world will cry before exploding, and you really don't want that to happen do you? So without further empty threats to deliver, here's my review of Pineapple Express.

 Pineapple Express is the stoner comedy from Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow released a few weeks back. It's main draw was James Franco in a role as pot dealer which some saw as a massive departure from Franco's more serious roles as... Harry from the Spider-Man movies? Seriously? It wasn't like he was some method actor who embodied his characters. Regardless, it's Franco in a comedy role which I guess we haven't seen before. I don't know, I didn't really factor that in.

Now before I get into the review, I'll just say I'm not a Seth Rogen fan. He's always come off as dry and boring to me as comedian like Will Ferrel and Steve Carell could play the same parts, but with more of a personality. He's a more straight-man character, but he never gets too involved like other actors do, and thus he's never been a big draw to me. This movie didn't change my opinion, as a lot of the jokes that Rogen delivers feel as though they could have been said better by someone with more charisma. Strangely enough however, Franco outshines his co-star the entire film as I found "Harry Osburn" to be genuinely hilarious at times. He's got pretty good delivery on his lines, and more charisma than I expected. However on a whole this movie disappointed me, and the whole reason why can be summed up rather easily. Missed opportunities.

This movie misses far too many of the notes that were laid out for it to hit, and I'll give a spoiler free explanation later on. Before I explain why, let me get the plot out of the way. Rogen plays Dale Denton, a man who makes a living by handing out subpoenas. Dale, like the man portraying him, is a big pot head, and his dealer Saul Silver (Franco) is his fix. They know each other only a small bit, and the relationship seems to all be in the head of Saul who hooks Dale up with the best shit (titled Pineapple Express, which I suppose is creative enough), and Dale is rather apathetic. Upon scoring some Pineapple Express, Dale drives off to deliver a subpoena, but upon arriving witnesses a murder. He's forced to retreat to his dealer in a panic, and we find out the man who did the killing was one of the towns drug kingpins, and helps identify Saul (and later Dale) via the chronic, as no one else but Saul has the Pineapple Express.

Dale and Saul realize that their time is up as thugs are on their way to kill them, and silence them for good. Eventually the plot thickens, but to sum it up: Dale sees murder, Dale tells Saul, Dale & Saul run for it. Along the way some wackiness occurs, but well... I'll get to that. Instead I have to voice some complaints along the way, because this movie missed it's mark as the running time grew. Sub-par actors are what ruined this film. Rogen and Franco were fine, but the majority of the cast just feels out of place. From the commercials you know one of the thugs is a large black man, and one of the commercials also has him acting a tad effeminate. He does, but it's not the over the top acting that makes a person laugh. It's a casual line mixed with his rough exterior that just make him feel poorly written, and poorly performed. Craig Robinson from The Office plays the assassin, but maybe it's because I don't watch the show that explains why I don't know if this man belongs in comedy. He was sorta funny, but sorta is just lame, especially since there are tons of black comedians who could have gone all the way. I feel as though the writing is to blame more, but I was still unimpressed.

Another poor choice of casting was Rosie Perez as the female cop working for the drug dealers who just seems odd. She's not a very attractive woman, or at least she did nothing for me, so I wonder why she was cast. Some may say "well hiring eye candy is stupid because it doesn't translate to funny", but Ms. Perez's character wasn't funny. That's not to imply she has no comedic talent, but rather I don't believe she says one humorous line the entire film. With no reason for her to be a skilled actress, and no reason for her to be funny, why not give me a girl who's hot and can pull off a cop outfit? It just seems odd, and distracts me.

Speaking of distracting, this movie is just weird. The plot moves awkwardly, and logic is so lost. Characters who should be dead keep coming back to life, and some people take injuries like they were nothing. This movie is a comedy, so nothing should be taken too seriously, but because mostly everything feels held back I continue to fall under the impression that the movie tries to be smart. It really doesn't. It almost feels like a movie Will Ferrel was offered and he said "No sorry, I've got another movie to release. This time I'm an astronaut". It's got the same style of humor, but restrained, and some of the random jokes are replaced with awkward stances that you'll only chuckle at under the influence.

The movie tricked me into thinking it was going to be intelligent. I thought maybe I was even going to learn something, and to the film's credit, it tricks you like that. The opening sequence (or at least the first present time beginning scene) features Rogen in his car calling up a radio show to express his opinion on legalizing mary jane. I thought perhaps the movie would touch on the topic of making the drug legal in a fashion similar to Harold & Kumar, but they don't. They never touch on the topic again, and it's a shame because making some effort here could have turned the film around. Instead of anything I need to think of, the comedy comes from weird action and awkward jokes. Don't get me wrong, the awkward joke can work, and it does sometimes in Pineapple Express, but not enough for my taste. But remember when I said this movie feels like it steals from a Will Ferrel flick? Well it sorta feels like another good film...

Hot Fuzz. There's a few scenes in the movie where Pineapple Express seems to mock action flicks, but not nearly as well as the Simon Pegg film. Instead we're treated to instances that make me break my usually pretty contained logic wall and ask "Why is a pothead and a pot dealer suddenly capable hand to hand fighters with amazing shots on rifles and handguns?" In fact the entire end of the movie is random, and feels just clunky and over the top. With the movie I'll take the liberty of saying "Meh, it was just meant to be stupid" and call it a day, but it still irks me that I heard people say such good things about such a mediocre movie.

Franco is pretty funny, and Rogen makes me chuckle a few times, but nothing about the movie came off as memorable. With a classic like Anchorman I leave the theater reciting lines, but I left Pineapple Express saying "Why didn't that guy die?" which shouldn't happen. In a silly movie I would say that as a joke, but as I said this film restricts itself and never fully jumps out into the realm of silly comedies. It's a stoner film, but unlike Harold & Kumar, I didn't feel like I could enjoy this sober. I felt confused, and just awkward. I think most people could enjoy Pineapple Express, but very few will love it.

WHO WILL ENJOY THIS MOVIE: Most people would be content as the movie doesn't offend. There is a good bit of violence and blood, plus the liberal usage of pot and its' marketing to children, but nothing is really over the top. I think anyone who enjoys Seth Rogen will find enjoyment here, and people who are fans of the silly plot of Ferrel movies will be in right here too. People who enjoy the chronic are the real lucky ones here as coming under the influence will likely double your enjoyment for the same price.

WHO WON'T ENJOY THIS MOVIE: Anyone looking for a smart film which I was conned into believing this was. There's no moral, and there's no points where I say "that was good writing". People who never enjoyed Harold & Kumar because they didn't "get it" or never liked any of Judd Apatow's other films will likely experience the same here because the aforementioned are far superior. I can't say "I wish I got my $8 back", but I can wish it.

Overall, the movie was a disappointment because I heard it was really good. I didn't enjoy this film too much, and in the big picture I think that's more of the fault of those around me. It's like when I saw Borat and left disappointed. It was a fine film, but everyone built it up to be amazing. In the end it couldn't live up the hype that was built beyond the movie, and neither could Pineapple Express. It's not a bad movie, just mediocre. Give it a chance if you like Seth Rogen, or you feel daring, but save your money if you're not sure.

So that's the review friends. I hope that helps, and if you have the time make sure to vote in the Best of Blogs contest. Your vote won't be wasted anywhere! Except no where. It's wasted there.

 Peace.