'Pineapple Express' aims to do for stoner movies what 'Superbad' did for the gross-out coming of age comedy...

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2008)

*** This review is courtesy of Fundulgence.com - the One to watch. It also featured on BBC Radio Sheffield, Leeds and York. ***
The latest comedy from Judd Apatow's crowd, 'Pineapple Express' aims to do for stoner movies what 'Superbad' did for the gross-out coming of age comedy, what 'Knocked-up' did for the Rom-Com and what 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' did for umvirgins?
Seth Rogen once again adopts the likable loser persona that made him so endearing in 'Knocked-Up' and 'the 40 Year Old Virgin', only here he's taking great pleasure in using a variety of disguises to serve legal writs to evasive lawbreakers. Overall, he's pretty content with his lot, fuelled by a genuine pride in his work and copious quantities of marijuana. After partaking in an extremely rare, potent form of the drug, (the Pineapple Express of the title) he witnesses a murder by a notorious drug dealer (Gary Cole) and crooked policewoman (Rosie Perez). He panics and runs to the nearest place of refuge  the apartment of his dealer, a greasy pothead played by James Franco. Cue increasingly silly stoner adventures as the two are pursued by machine gun-wielding dope dealers.
If it all sounds rather daft, then that's because it is. Though rather than the mindless 'Dude, Where's my Car?' approach to stoner humour, writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have worked hard to ensure that the film has madcap set-pieces, emotion, intelligence, and of course, plenty of witty banter, though the context of their conversations are considerably more far-fetched than their previous collaborations. There's also a surprising amount of crunching violence, a telltale sign that director David Gordon Green ('Undertow', 'Snow Angels') may have a hankering for a big budget action movie. He turns many a traditional action convention on its head, but based on the execution his wish is likely to come true.
The film manages to traverse several genres whilst maintaining a consistent tone and escalating the laughs as the plot progresses. The blossoming friendship between Rogen's cuddly honey monster and Franco's dewy-eyed dealer (who only sells drugs to pay for his Grandmother's plush retirement home), form the heart and soul of the movie and this makes for a much more wholesome experience than other films of the stoner genre, and as such, it should appeal to a much broader audience. Their "bro's not hoes" mantra, reckless loyalty and shared love for weed form a love story arc of male bonding which is sweet but verging on homo-eroticism. In 'Superbad' the age of the characters accounted for a degree of vulnerability, and whilst the same level of empathy is difficult to elicit when the character's emotional states are largely drug induced, it's impossible not to root for the hapless heroes.
There aren't many films that can boast that 'Ha! You've just been killed by a Daewoo Lanos!', and this original flavour may, in time, help the film to achieve cult classic status. Until then, Pineapple Express is a potent blend of giggle inducing lightweight entertainment that has enough of a kick to appeal to more than just stoners and Apatow addicts.