Pineapple Express

What’s It About?
A stoner witnesses a corrupt cop and a drug lord shoot a guy. The corrupt cop and the drug lord witness him fleeing the scene.

The stoner, with his drug-dealer friend, try really hard not to get killed or get arrested, and instead get high.

My Thoughts Going In…
Knocked Up fights in my head for best film of 2007, so another film starring Seth Rogan has a lot to live up too.

Looks Like…
Oh come on! As if anyone is watching this film for cinematic beauty. Sharing a philosophy with Kevin Smith films, Pineapple Express pushes the comedy into the spotlight and hope nobody is looking closely at the visuals.

When it is need, things work. Wounds look suitably realistic and explosions go bang with explosive style. Just don't be expecting Oscars.

Sounds Like…
The film is laced with old cult songs, playing on car radios or in apartments. They're fun tunes, and add a nice atmosphere to the film. And when the heroic music kicks in at the end, it is epic!

Feels Like…
Seth Rogan is funny. This is fact. Put him in a room and let him riff, you get gold, my friend. Gold! James Franco is also funny, which comes as a surprise to those who know him as angsty Harry Osbourne. Put the two guys together in a room, you get something better than gold. Diamonds maybe?

When these two are allowed to riff, we get the funniest scenes. They bounce off one another with ease; setting up jokes and batting them for six (or 'out of the park' if you're American). They are the core of the film, and the reason you'll keep watching.

This is good because, I'll be honest, the film isn't that good. Subplots aren't wrapped up or properly delved into, and the main plot soon falls into an excuse to just push the characters from one comedy situation to the next. It doesn't flow, but stumbles like the drugged-up protagonists.

You won't realise though. I certainly didn't until I truly looked at it. You're laughing too much to care. Like the visuals, the plot is pushed to the back of the stage, to give the comedy room to tap-dance away.

And what a dance it is. When it is slapstick, the falls and punches hit the mark nearly every time. The dialogue slips jokes in that won't be caught until a second, third, or tenth viewing. The film isn't even trying; comedy comes naturally.

The film won't be remembered as the best film of the year, or even the best comedy, but it is hugely enjoyable. You'll laugh. You'll cry with laughter. You just might not think. It isn't that type of film.

Verdict…
Knocked Up's little stoner brother. Bit more simple, likely to fall over a lot, but still cut from the same cloth and worthy of your time.