Average comedy with a few highs

Rating: Null/10 (26 April 2009)

Rogen and Apatow are probably responsible for the bulk of half-decent comedies coming out of Hollywood these days, although even they are prone to the occasional dud. This one - which definitely isn't a dud - follows the misadventures of Saul, a minor league drug dealer and his best customer Dale Denton, a going-nowhere process server who find themselves on the run from both cops and villains after Dale witnesses the murder of a man by Ted (Gary Cole), another drug dealer a couple of dozen rungs up the ladder from Saul.
The story is an uneasy combination of low-level humour and violent action, a curious choice which, together with a protracted final sequence, is one of the film's major weaknesses. Where the film scores is with the central performances from James Franco and Seth Rogen as the hapless heroes who spend most of their time either in a narcotic haze or a state of high anxiety. Rogen pretty much repeats his trademark affable everyman which has stood him in good stead so far and still seems to be working well. James Franco maybe isn't as well known for comic performances but he holds his own against Rogen. Danny McBride also scores as Red, the duo's luckless friend whose survival of a succession of fatal injuries harks back to the violent Warner cartoons of the 40s and 50s.
To be honest, the biggest laughs were all up there in the trailer, but there's enough here to keep you entertained, even if a slightly too long running time means you won't be too disappointed when the final credits roll.