Review: Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express

Opening Date: 08/06/2008

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Put this in your pipe and smoke it.

Opening Statement
Following up on the success of Knocked Up and Superbad, the Apatow troupe returns with yet another script that was once on the back burner. Originally written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the Judd Apatow touch of box office gold has placed Pineapple Express on the fast track to the silver screen.

Facts of the Case
Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) has reached the point where one becomes comfortable with life. He has a high school girlfriend, a job as a file server, and is high pretty much all the time. Saul Silver (James Franco) is Dale’s pot dealer and has taken it upon himself to cross the threshold of turning Dale from customer to friend. Along the way the two become entangled in a tale of murder, trafficking, drug cartels, and all out action.

The Evidence
There will be many outcries that Pineapple Express sets a new bar in the stoner comedy genre. But really, how high was that bar anyway? What’s more impressive is how the film provides one of the most memorable comedy duos in years. Dale Denton and Saul Silver have placed themselves in the company of other legendary stoners such as Cheech and Chong and even Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta.

The plot to Pineapple Express is an afterthought. Dale witnesses a murder, during a routine service call and flees the scene in a panic, leaving behind a roach of Pineapple Express. Of course, this marijuana being proclaimed by Saul as “dopest dope you’ll ever smoke,” drug lord Ted Jones (Gary Cole) figures out who it belongs to and sends crooked officer Carol Brazier (Rosie Perez) and henchmen Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson) to retrieve our pothead heroes.

But plot aside, this movie is not about being on the run. It’s about friendship. It’s about loyalty. And like most Apatow ventures, it’s about male camaraderie. Whereas The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad are films about maturing and the divorcement of “being one of the guys,” Pineapple Express takes the opposite view, where male friendship is the centerpiece to a happy life.

Anyone familiar with James Franco’s work on Freaks and Geeks will not be surprised that Saul steals the film, as evidenced by the scene where Saul tells Dale how special and important their friendship is. Normally, the dynamic between a dealer and buyer is strictly business, and once the transaction is complete the relationship ends there. So when Saul decides he wants to become friends with Dale, this becomes an huge emotional investment.

Another scene stealer is Red (Danny McBride). Similar to the male relationships in Superbad, Red sees Dale as a threat to his own friendship with Saul. He also sees Dale as a threat in general, as Budlofksy and Matheson threaten his life multiple times. It’s easy to tell that screenwriters Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen adore this character, by the absurd lengths gone to maintain Red’s on screen presence.

And of course, there is Dale at the center of it all. This role is “by the numbers” Seth Rogen, still at the top of his game. Audiences who have seen him before know what to expect and that’s not a fault. Rogen’s laid back demeanor, humor, and everyday Joe persona has yet to overstay its welcome, and his chemistry with Franco evokes that of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from The Odd Couple — if the two were on weed 24/7.

As with most stoner movies, Pineapple Express enjoys going off on tangents. In fact, the movie takes a divergent turn into action flick territory in the third act, which is all the more strange when the film returns to buddy comedy mode. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the this act almost functions as a parody of a drug crime film.  

Rebuttal Witnesses
If Pineapple Express lacks anything, it’s empathy towards its characters. Though Dale and Saul are extremely likable, their relationship is absent of the severity that has been displayed in previous Apatow films. The emotional weight between Dale and Saul is never in serious jeopardy and there are no surprises. On the other hand, this is a tale about two potheads.

Closing Statement
Pineapple Express is pure comedy and though it does not transcend its comedic stoner roots, it’s not required to. Rogen and Franco are a terrific duo to watch, whether the audience is blazed or not. And while the film is similar to past Apatow endeavors such as Anchorman and Walk Hard, don’t let these comparisons fool you. This is the best of the bunch and you will not find a funnier film this summer… and probably the rest of the year. 

9/10

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