Pineapple Express Review

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) stars as yet another stoner who lives for weed and its narcotic effects. When he has a stressful day at work, which is everyday because he is a process server, he lights up and all his worries melt away. He buys his MJ from Saul Silver (James Franco). One day he gets some really rare weed, Pineapple Express from Saul. He is parked outside a house ready to deliver a summons when he witnesses a murder by a drug lord and a crooked cop. In his panic to flee, he drops his roach clip with the Pineapple Express on the road and takes off, but not before he rams several cars parked nearby several times. He races over to Saul’s to find out just how rare PE is. Terrified, they flee Saul’s apartment and hide in the woods. In the beginning, they think their paranoia is irrational, but they quickly learn that hired killers are only a step behind them and the race is on.

The movie is a typical Apatow production, with plenty of cursing, drug use and over the top insanity. Once Rogen witnesses the murder, the movie barrels along like a roller coaster, full of laughs, gunplay and gore. The fight scenes in the movie are hilarious, with kitty litter, toilets, ashtrays and all manner of paraphernalia used to good effect. The movie’s lone car chase is one of the funniest I’ve ever seen.

The movie is well paced and very funny but has a few shortcomings. Several sub-plots go nowhere, especially the one about Rogen’s high school age girlfriend. A scene has Saul and Dale sell drugs to elementary school aged kids…not cool IMHO. However, James Franco steals nearly every scene he is in, especially his paranoia while in the woods. He definitely has a career in comedy if he so chooses. Rogen pulls out the same stoner character he has played in other Apatow films. He doesn’t do anything poorly, but he doesn’t really add anything or do anything unexpected. Danny McBride is hilarious as the drug dealer middleman who sold Saul the Pineapple Express. His character reminded me of Wile Coyote, simply because he takes a beating and keeps coming back for more.