'Pineapple Express' is the latest comedy hit from producer Judd Apatow. It was cowritten by the authors of 'Superbad' Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. It reunites the two stars Seth Rogan and James Franco from their humble beginnings as freaks in the late nineties one season TV show 'Freaks and Geeks.' Filling supporting roles are Apatow regulars like Bill Hader, Kevin Corridan, and Craig Robinson. New faces include Gary Cole and Rosie Perez as bad guys and Danny McBride as a fellow drug dealer. Seth Rogan is a process server who frequents his dope dealer Franco. Seth witnesses a murder that implicates himself and Franco. They are chased by hitmen, A drug war erupts, and Hilarity ensues. The one thing that really struck me about this film is how different it is from its other Apatow predecessors. Most of those were heartfelt romantic comedies laced with obscenity. This one is much more action oriented. There are plenty of shootouts, lots of people die, huge explosions, there is even a car chase. Combine all the violence of Apatow's previous films and they won't equal a quarter of what you will find here in 'Pineapple Express.' It's a distinctive new turn for the Apatow group. It makes you wonder what else they can do.
There is still heartfelt core here though, a must in every Apatow film. It basically revolves around the fact that Rogan feels uncomfortable with being friends with his drug dealer. Franco on the other hand is blatantly needy. I wouldn't blame him. His days consist of hanging in his apartment, smoking dope, and waiting for customers to show up. When Rogan shows up, completely stoned, raving about a murder, and orders an escape into the woods its probably Franco's first time out of the house in weeks. James Franco's performance here is something special. Franco, who has always played straight romantic leads, is perhaps the funniest guy in the movie. His comedic timing is perfect. His stoner accent is right on. He has the ability to mine great lines for laughs that only a few comedians can. It is the best comedic performance I have seen all year. Seth Rogan is perhaps a better writer than actor (which isn't really an insult), he's got a certain Adam Sandlerness to him, where it seems like he doesn't really have any discernible range. (He can smoke a doobie really well though, and it pays off in this movie.) One thing he does have is a very limited ego. There are always certain imperfections about his characters that he has no qualms about exploring. Running across the street is a grand expedition for the somewhat overweight guy. He also is a great straight man to his fellow actors. He sets up Franco perfectly in so many scenes in this movie.
These people really are on a roll. The two funniest movies I have seen this year were both Apatow productions. Besides Pixar, it is the most reliant brand out there. The only complaint I could have about this film, is it's too creative violence. There were a couple moments in the film when a person was shot, or someone died, or some body part was blown off, that I simply didn't find that funny. Gore simply isn't to me, and I think they shouldn't have gotten so grotesque in some parts. Gun violence very rarely is funny I've noticed. It's too lethal and bloody. Now, if you hit somebody with a shovel or smashed a two by four over their head, that could be hilarious. Shooting them in that same head, not so much. The huge climatic action sequence at the end got a whole lot funnier when they ran out of ammo and had to find more creative ways to pummel each other.
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