Great comedy. Great action. Great movie.

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2008)

A grown-up comedy disguised as an idiotic stoner teen vehicle, Judd Apatow's has struck cinematic gold once again with the hilarious, action-packed and surprisingly violent Pineapple Express.
Marijuana, a subject Apatow was not gun-shy about in Knocked Up and Superbad, has replaced sex as the catalyst for male shenanigans this time. Seasoned Apatow-ites James Franco, who previously helmed the brilliant "Freaks and Geeks" on the short-lived NBC show, and Seth Rogen play two stoner dudes on the run from the alpha-dog drug dealer (Gary Cole) in town, whom Rogen has just witnessed disposing of his competition. Rosie Perez plays his crooked cop with whom he shares a strange sexual tension- and some hilarious one-lines.
Like previous Apatows, there is more than meets the eye to this one. The man-child growth formula has been done to death, but the question Pineapple Express is interested in isn't what it means to be a man, but rather what it means to be a friend. Like Superbad, there is thinly veiled homo-erotic references and glances. In the end, these innuendos and implications a refreshing foil to the homo-phobic crap Hollywood usually serves up. As opposed to disguising a sort of perverted gay male fantasy, Pineapple Express secures its sexuality in these moments. It disputes the bottled-male assumption and instead isn't afraid to lovingly explore a blossoming friendship.
What makes a movie like Pineapple Express or Knocked Up grossly superior to contemporary, more formulaic studio comedies is more than a few funny lines and a good story. The risks in these movies simply would not have been taken in, say, The Love Guru or Meet Dave. How many comedies have you seen that feature a incredible five-minute fight scene, without soundtrack? For a moment, when Rogen's Dale and Franco's Saul meet their middle-man small-time drug procurer, you'll think you are watching something out of John Carpentar's They Live, the fighting is so brutal. The violence is surprising, and only slightly comedic. Feet are blown off, heads are smashed, people are defenselessly shot, and in one sequence, an ear is mangled so thoroughly that you'll find yourself humming "Stuck in the Middle" by Steeler's Wheels.
It is refreshing to have a talent like Judd Apatow who does not insult the intelligence of his audience. He knows they can go from action to drama to two guys smoking a bong and laughing at All in the Family without missing a beat. There are scenes in Apatow productions which exceed 5 minutes, unheard of in major comedies. Further, Pineapple Express thrives because there is a feeling of selflessness. The last scene is surely improvised, with the protagonists Rogen and Franco sitting with their drug-running friend in a diner, recapping and simply BSing the way people do. In most films, something like this would be left on the cutting floor; what's the use of re-hashing what we spent the last two hours watching? Ahhh but therein lies the rub. Pineapple Express isn't interested in Lessons Being Learned or Men Finally Growing Up. In the end, what it comes down to is two guys genuinely willing to do what it takes for the other, and I for one feel lucky to revel in their homo-erotic drug-induced homicidal escapades.