Pineapple Express (2008)

I am quite vocal about my dislike of modern comedies.  I have a few exceptions but, by and large, comedy died around 2000.  I would like to say it has nothing to do with political correctness but, in a way, it does.  Directors like the Farelly Brothers went out of their way to rebel against PC trends of the time, reveling in being offensive.  It worked briefly with movies like Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, but eventually it became routine.  Most comedies since have tried to wring humor from old playground jokes.

It should be no surprise that, given my general enjoyment of the movies I review on this site, that most modern comedy I like combines elements from other genres.  That brings me to Pineapple Express, a stoner comedy from Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow.  In some ways it plays a bit like Up in Smoke, with two not-so-bright potheads stumbling through different situations, combined with the good old trope of the main characters being mistaken for something much more than they are. 

Dale Denton (Rogan) is a process server dating high school senior Angie (Amber Heard).  While not doing his job and hanging out at the high school he smokes a lot of weed.  After visiting his drug dealer Saul (James Franco) Denton proceeds to do his job and serve Ted Jones (Gary Cole) who it turns out is a major dealer.  Dale arrives just in time to see Ted and a corrupt cop named Carol (Rosie Perez) kill a Chinese gang member.

When Dale tosses his roach Ted figures out that the weed he was smoking - a strain called Pineapple Express - came from Saul.  Meanwhile, Denton returns to Saul's and, before Jones's henchmen Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson) can arrive, the two go on the run, eventually visiting Saul's source, Red (Danny McBride).  It turns out that Ted and the Asians are on the verge of a war and that he and Carol believe that Dale is a secret provocateur sent to destroy his organization. 

Say what one will about James Franco but he is hilarious in this film while Rogen is the best I have seen him.  I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan but most movies and shows involving him have been pretty good.  Evan Goldberg was also involved in writing the movie and, refreshingly, the three of them managed to come up with genuinely funny scenarios while avoiding the usual bodily function jokes that plague most comedies these days.  What also enhances the comedy is that doses of reality are thrown in here and there that cleverly subvert many action movie tropes. 

There is also no attempt to shy away from being an action film.  Movies like Beverly Hills Cop used to deliver a great buddy cop film while still being laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end.  Pineapple Express delivers the same in a more contemporary setting, although even that has aged at this point.  It's a fun watch and a reminder that comedy can still be done right if some effort is put behind it. 

Pineapple Express (2008)

Time: 112 minutes

Starring: Seth Rogan, James Franco, Danny McBride, Amber Heard, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez

Director: David Gordon Green