Pineapple Express
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Written by: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Rosie Perez, Gary Cole, Ed Begley Jr., Kevin Corrigan, Craig Robinson

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I never thought I’d live to see the day when Seth Rogen became one of the biggest names in Hollywood comedy, but nonetheless that day has arrived and he is certainly making the best of it. Ever since the success of Knocked Up and Superbad last summer, Rogen has been in high demand not just for his acting skills but also his writing. He is currently juggling a ton of new projects and pumping out as many movies as he can possibly handle. Clearly he hasn’t learned from the Will Ferrell backlash that sometimes overexposure can be a killer.

By far his most anticipated movie of the year, Pineapple Express was co-written with his Superbad writing partner Evan Goldberg. But would they be able to recreate the same R-rated mass market comedy without the help of McLovin and Co?

In Pineapple Express, Rogen plays lazy pot-smoking public servant Dale Denton, who accidentally witnesses a murder while smoking a joint on the job. After being spotted at the scene, he seeks refuge with his dealer Saul (James Franco) and they realize that the man behind the murder is also Saul’s supplier. The situation is further complicated by the fact that a female cop was involved in the hit, so the two stoners find themselves on the run without anyone to turn to, except for the middle man, Red (Danny McBride).

One of the most interesting aspects of this movie was the fact that indie filmmaker David Gordon Green was brought on board to direct. It’s certainly an odd transition for the man behind such acclaimed art house movies as George Washington and All The Real Girls, but Green has always shown interest in a wide variety of genres and an appreciation for all kinds of movies. From the outset it’s clear that he envisioned Pineapple Express as an action-comedy hybrid in the vein of 80’s buddy flicks like See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Lethal Weapon. Heck, they even recruited Huey Lewis to provide the theme song, although it’s barely used in the movie.

Pineapple Express succeeds on this front, and indeed, provides a much better action-comedy combo than Get Smart did earlier this summer. There’s lots of fun split-screen stuff, over the top gun fights and massive explosions — certainly not the kind of stuff you typically see in a stoner flick. Green injects a lot energy into the proceedings, and seems to be having fun with a budget that is much bigger than what he’s used to. Gary Cole is particularly enjoyable as the stereotypically evil druglord, as they riff on a number of action movie cliches. Unfortunately, where the movie really disappoints is in the writing department.

There’s no denying that Rogen and Franco have chemistry together, but after a while you begin to realize that this is really all the movie has going for it. It feels like there were very few scripted jokes on paper to begin with, and they are trying to improvise their way through the entire flick. Rogen, in particular, seems like he’s grasping at straws, trying his best to be funny, but mostly coming up empty. It kind of made me start thinking that maybe he isn’t cut out to be in front of the camera as a leading man after all.

The whole subplot with his girlfriend Angie (Amber Heard) doesn’t really go anywhere, and with the exception of a dinner scene featuring Ed Begley Jr. as Angie’s father, it seemed totally unnecessary. Kevin Corrigan (Lonesome Jim, Superbad) and Craig Robinson (The Office) are hit and miss as the two thugs chasing them down, and really the only great supporting character is Danny McBride as Red, although even he overstays his welcome.

There aren’t enough plot twists to keep things moving all the way through, which is perhaps why the final gunfight is stretched out for so long. By the end, Rogen and Goldberg also fall back on their Superbad bag of tricks by inserting some artificial emotion to the story, and even though it’s partially tongue-in-cheek, it just feels forced at that point. The relationships between the characters were never well-developed from the start, and by that time it’s simply too late.

I did enjoy Pineapple Express for the unique mixture of genres that it manages to mash together, and it gave me enough chuckles to make me feel like I got my money’s worth. At the same time, the movie was definitely a bit chaotic and under developed, and considering all of the talent involved, it simply did not live up to my expectations. There aren’t a lot of stand out moments, and as much as I hate to say it, I think this movie will be all but forgotten by the end of the year. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Superbad, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, The Big Lebowski, Hot Fuzz