An above average stoner/crime comedy

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2018)

"Pineapple Express" is one of those comedies where a regular guy gets swept up into a situation he can't handle simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here, the regular guy is Dale Denton (Seth Rogen), a lowly process server who witnesses a murder. Soon, he finds himself on the run with his weed dealer (James Franco), who is also connected to the murder by association. Fleeing hitmen & corrupt police officers, the pair naturally proceed to get into various comedic situations throughout the course of the movie.
An important part of any comedy is the cast and this one's pretty good. Seth Rogen contributes a performance that's typical for him, which is all that's really needed here since he's a quintessential 'regular guy'. James Franco's performance is more idiosyncratic and resulted in a Golden Globe nomination. Personally, I give the edge to Franco but, most importantly, the two have good chemistry together. The supporting cast is nicely assembled as well, featuring very funny individuals like Danny McBride & Craig Robinson alongside seasoned vets like Gary Cole & Ed Begley Jr.
The story's an entertaining one, blending elements of stoner & crime comedies in a pretty novel way. The script was written by Rogen & Evan Goldberg, who'd previously collaborated a year earlier on the standout comedy "Superbad". They did a good job of blending action & comedy here, so that the movie feels loose at times but still has momentum. I'm not sure that it's really all that memorable of a plot in the end but it does consistently hold your attention once it gets going.
From a technical standpoint, "Pineapple Express" is well executed but not particularly exceptional. David Gordon Green's direction seems to be more focused on performance rather than crafting clever visuals, which is an approach that works well for the movie. The music generally doesn't stand out, either, though it was kind of cool for them to get Huey Lewis & the News to perform the theme song.
Overall, "Pineapple Express" may not be a comedy for the ages but it is a worthwhile comedy that doesn't just recycle cliches and situations from other, better movies. Given the premise, you might expect a lowbrow stoner comedy but the movie actually has a keen sense of humour that goes beyond mere silliness. While this brand of comedy still may not suit all tastes, I think that the movie will certainly appeal to fans of Rogen & Franco at the very least.