Review: Pineapple Express

Up in Smoke

The Judd Apatow factory should be known to be one of the most productive machines working today. I've never really encountered a product of theirs that didn't result in some kind of enjoyment. It's prototype The 40-Year-Old Virgin, was a cute little film that managed to show us another side of Steve Carrell before he would later show off on the television, and the year's earlier showing of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, let people know that good acting combined with writing can mean good results even with a familiar premise. The latest to come out of that machine now shows us that it may be time to shut down the factory for a little while and give everyone a tune up before people start returning these products, declaring them defective.

Seth Rogen, who is already a regular for Judd Apatow, plays the lead role of Dale, a loser who attempts to survive his hellish job by dressing up in disguises while giving people subpoenas. During the day, he visits his drug dealer Saul, played very entertainingly by James Franco. Saul gives Dale the premium pot called Pineapple Express. Upon leaving, Dale inadvertently witnesses a murder by a crime boss (Gary Cole) and a corrupt cop (Rosie Perez). This starts a chain of events that follows most other action films.

Rogen is not necessarily a talented actor, but he's one that's been able to get by with playing characters that don't require much stretch and mimic his personality. Franco is a true delight in a role that is completely the opposite of what you'd expect him to do. So many of his lines and mannerisms are so well played, you'd think there is a real thespian behind that goofy smile. However, to paraphrase my second favorite Chicago film critic, Michael Phillips, that would mean that there's an actual motive behind his acting and would throw off the realism. Danny McBride also has a funny role as a friend of Saul who gets into a very funny fight, but the rest of the cast struggles. In particular, Cole and Perez don't act like their in a stoner comedy, but more so like clumsy villains in a Michael Mann film that still come off as menacing. I don't think that's quite the right tone for the film.

The film is written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg (with additional story material from Apatow), and it is reminiscent of the same type of amateur writing that was present in Superbad. I liked that earlier effort and remained a strong supporter for a campaign to have it nominated for Best Original Screenplay. This one, however, lacks the charm that the former film had. Superbad had juvenile dialogue, but it was alright because it came from teenagers. The script sounded like it was written by teenagers, and the characters represented that. Juvenile dialogue doesn't sound quite as nice when it is coming from grown men, even if they are high all the time. There is also something a little disturbing about a film that glorifies marijuana the way that it does, even relishing in how its lead characters get ahead by selling joints to twelve-year-olds.

This movie also has a strange taste in director: indie sensation David Gordon Green. Green has spent was seems to have been a lifetime of making obscure films that no one has seen, such as George Washington, Undertow, and this year's little gem Snow Angels. It's almost absurd to think that a man with this kind of background would be directing a film that is actually aimed at a large audience. However, it goes back to a thought that everyone has had at some point: the thought of what would happen if a good director actually made a movie considered to below their reputation. When put to this film, we get a sometimes imaginative film that indulges the audience is an interesting way. Still, it's not like a noticeable director like Green brings anymore to this project. Although, it does make me wonder if Green had directed Superbad, would it have been a bigger hit? Or even an Oscar contender?

Judd Apatow has another film coming out next year that will also star Rogen, along with overseeing Rogen in a Sherlock Holmes spoof. However, I'm hoping that Apatow writing and directing his next feature will be the tune up that his factory desperately needs. It's not that the products are bad, but they are declining. And it needs to happen rather quickly. ** 1/2 / ****; GRADE: B-