Good stuff. Not the best I've had. But good stuff.

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2008)

Obviously, they were high when they made this movie. At times it works to the movie's advantage, creating really hilarious moments, and other times it leaves the movie looking sloppy.
What's awesome about the Apatow productions we've grown to love is their fearlessness in being blatantly crude, yet smart, and actually pretty touching in their own silly ways. This movie was exactly that at first, but once the movie switched from comedy to action/comedy, it snowballed into a mess that could've been done a whole lot better, and maybe even funnier.
Watching the previous Apatow movies, it's pretty apparent that a stoner movie is something they've been anxious to do for a long time. With their edgy sense of humor, and a touch of Mary Jane, Pineapple Express was destined to become perhaps the best stoner comedy in history. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to its destiny.
What Pineapple Express suffers from is another case of great characters stuck in an okay movie. You got Dale (Seth Rogen) who of course smokes pot all day and has a day job passing out subpoenas in the most creative ways he can think of; Saul (James Franco), Dale's dealer who is hilariously outlandish at times, but proves to have a genuine heart, and has a day job selling and smoking pot all day; Dale's high school girlfriend Angie (played by the lovely Amber Heard), who remains devoted to Dale despite being thrown into his unfortunate predicament; Red, Saul's supplier who displays incredible resilience; and the hit men, who are just as sloppy and clumsy as the potheads they're chasing.
Sounds funny, and it is, which is why I'd still recommend this movie, but the movie was only a disappointment because I strongly believe an Apatow stoner movie could have been done way better. As far as stoner movies go, I'd still pick Half Baked or Harold and Kumar over Pineapple Express. As far as action/comedy, I'd pick Hot Fuzz or Last Action Hero over Pineapple Express. As far as Apatow productions go, I'd still pick Knocked Up or Superbad or 40-year-old Virgin or Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Anchorman or Talladega Nights over Pineapple Express.
Again, I'd still recommend Pineapple Express because there's no denying it's hilarious. It's like the Class Clown. He says something, and you laugh because he's always funny, even though he's had better days. Today the Class Clown just happens to be high.