Pineapple Express (2008)
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Pineapple Express Movie Review
Pineapple Express is a 2008 stoner comedy film directed by David Gordon Green and starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. It’s a solid, but flawed film.
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“Best fuckin’ friends forever, man!“
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It follows a process server and his marijuana dealer as they are forced to flee from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after witnessing them commit a murder. This is obviously a stoner comedy which means that literally three fourths of its jokes are about drugs and marijuana. I definitely found it overwhelming, but for the most part the humor was solid and it amused me.
The highlight, however, is the humor that concerned with other things, most especially gay jokes surrounding James Franco’s character. Those were fantastic and highly entertaining. Both Seth Rogen and James Franco fitted their roles superbly, a bit too easily, but still this is obviously a great casting as the two are the best at playing a druggie and a hilariously closeted friend.
Their interactions and relationship are the highlights of the film for sure. I liked Danny McBride less than those two, but still he was a worthy addition to this team. And that ending where the three reunited was sweet and funny at the same time.
The major problem I have with Pineapple Express is basically its second half which is a major step down from the first one. Whereas the first half was funny and playful, the second one was overly action-packed and overly violent as well.
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The film became an action crime film whereas before that, it was a crime comedy and that fitted it much more. That’s why that second half failed to generate almost any laughs from me apart from a very good ending.
But I still liked the film quite a bit, I just thought that it was not up to par with some of the actors’ best works. The action is overwhelming, but admittedly well executed. The direction, though, should have been better and the pacing is also all over the place. But the dialogue is most definitely quite strong with a couple of terrific, memorable lines.
Pineapple Express definitely disappointed me with that action-packed, frenetic second half where the film became an action crime flick instead of a comedy, but the ending is very good and the first half is quite strong with the highlights being James Franco and Seth Rogen’s characters who share many funny interactions and lines of dialogue.
