[Movie Review] PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
Man, oh man. I’ve been stalling and stalling on this review, and it cannot wait any longer. It has to get done eventually. I think part of the reason that it hasn’t been written up yet, apart from starting my FINAL semester at college, is due to the backlash that I’m sure will come with it. I’ve already received mini-backlash from friends whose opinions did not match mine, but here goes nothin’. I’m a big girl. Backlash away!
I’m not a pothead. I’ve never done drugs. I’ve never even seen them. I wouldn’t know the difference between cocaine and flour if it was in front of me, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy films centered around the world of drugs. Blow is a massively underappreciated film in my opinion (and one of Johnny Depp’s best performances), and I am a big fan of Friday, a film very similar to PE. That being said, I was not a big fan of the PE trailer. I liked that “Paper Planes” song, but I honestly didn’t laugh once at anything in the trailer. If a trailer for a comedy doesn’t make me laugh, then chances are, the film is headed in the same direction. But I wanted to give this film a shot. Trailers don’t always determine a film’s quality (learned that with Stardust) and this is an Apatow movie, right? It can’t be a total loss, right? Well, it’s not a total loss, but the people calling this thing the Second Coming of Comedy must have been, well, smoking something.
Let’s start with the good. James Franco is funny, very funny in fact as Saul, the clueless pot dealer. Whenever I was laughing in this movie, it was because of something he was doing or saying. Watch him eat a burger late in this film and try not to giggle. I’ve never seen him do comedy, so I was surprised at just how funny he was. He reminded me so much of this pothead that I went to high school with, so the pothead aspect of his character was bang-on. I really hope that he does more comedy because I really enjoyed him in this, and in light of how his talents were squandered in the Spiderman franchise, this flick could signal a new direction for him. Danny McBride, who is also in Tropic Thunder this summer (another review I’ve been stalling on) is funny as a friend of Saul who is seemingly immortal (you’ll get it when you see the movie). He’s got a great scene in his bathroom with a certain rap song blaring mournfully in the background that killed me.
That’s about all that’s good in this movie. I’m sorry to say it, but this movie sort of meanders whenever those two performers are not onscreen. The movie doesn’t really know what it wants to be. It switches from a stoner comedy about two guys trying not to get killed while they do and sell pot to a full-on action movie with guns blazing, and it never quite worked for me (no way in hell would these people be sober enough to aim the guns with accuracy that they do. I know it’s a movie, but come on). Rather than laughing, I was just…sitting there. I wanted to laugh in the worst way, but for the most part, I was shrugging my shoulders at what was going on. It’s a bit silly of me, I know, to ask for a stronger plot in a stoner movie, but there are characters and plot threads in this movie that are pretty pointless, and they should have been either excised or strengthened for the sake of the story. This movie is trying to be the Superbad of stoner movies, and it doesn’t work. It tries to hit the same beats about male friendships and all that jazz, but the reason why Superbad worked so well for me is because I cared for the characters and bought their relationships because it was backed up with a great screenplay. It’s unfair to compare two different movies, but when they are done by the same people and have similar plot beats, I can’t help but make the comparison. PE’s story just didn’t do anything for me. The main villains in the film are painted with such broad strokes that I found myself not giving a crap about them in the slightest. There are two henchmen that provide some chuckles, but other than that, the villains are pretty piss-poor. The chief offender in the “why is this here?” sweepstakes is a subplot involving Seth Rogen’s character Dale dating a high school hottie. This could have been played for some serious laughs, but apart from a great one-liner from the girl’s father, the subplot serves no real purpose and gets abandoned midway through the film. I understand that the filmmakers were attempting to show Dale’s immaturity by starting the movie with him dating this girl, but she does nothing but slow down the film. I wish that they would have just concentrated on the relationship between Saul and Dale. Speaking of Seth Rogen, I think he needs to just stick to supporting roles for the time being. Every film that I’ve seen where he has been the lead (Knocked Up and PE) has underwhelmed me, in part due to his performance. In a supporting role like 40 Year Old Virgin, he’s great, but here he’s just…not bad, but not all that great, either. I like him a lot, and I have hope for Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but he’s just alright in this.
It got to the point that I was overjoyed when it appeared that the film was over, only to begrudgingly sit back down when another scene started up. I’m sorry to say it, but I did not enjoy this film enough to give it a passing grade. See it for Franco and McBride, but other than that, I don’t know what to tell you. Now, in this film’s defense, there are a lot of comedies that everyone loves that I flat-out hate. I cannot stand Wedding Crashers, and I still catch hell for it. Maybe you guys will watch this flick and love it, then come back here and wonder what the hell is wrong with me. If you can have a good time with this, good for you. Guess I just wasn’t high enough.
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33 Responses to “[Movie Review] PINEAPPLE EXPRESS”
Well, I loved the shit out of it.
It’s a stoner comedy/action movie so it’s gonna have both things in it, the move knows exactly what it’s doing in that regard. Also, by the halfway point in the movie, they’ve stopped smoking so they would have sobered up.
Oh, and what the **** is wrong with?
I just couldn’t get into it, try as I might. I just didn’t like it.
I don’t hate for not liking it, I’m just very disappointed in you.
I’m soory I let you down
And I’m sorry that I can’t spell sorry
You could have just edited it Kris
I’m just made of fail today, I guess
Yeah, you’re ****in’ up.
I haven’t seen this but I thought the script was cute. Red is a hilarious, and the Tupac joke is brilliant as I spent 5 years at school with a white best friend who loved Tupac something chronic (huzzah). Tickled me.
I think though that the script lacks the honesty of Superbad. You do invest in those relationships and the film is a pretty honest and well observed portrayal of that transition from just being young to being a young adult. Also, McLovin and the two cops is possibly one of the greatest sub plots in the history of American cinema and, despite Red, The Pineapple Express lacks a wonderfully subversive detour that usually marks out a great comedy film.
Man oh man, oh man! Seriously Kris? Ted Demme was a wonderfully under-appreciated director but you rate BLOW and not this movie? I’m seeing it this week and even the “Memorable Quotes” section of IMDB has me laughing my friggin’ ass off!
And Seth Rogen? NOT a leading man? No, no, no!
I have a feeling me and you could be going to ‘talkback’ war on this one babe!
… But the make-up sex will be fantastic
It’ll be a war. Everyone is loving this movie except me.
It’s because you’re a ****ing weirdo.
Ha ha. It’s normally me that hates everything. I’m quite enjoying this TB… lol.
That said, there’s nothing worse than going into a movie totally ready to be entertained and just not connecting with it.
“****in’ weirdo” is a little harsh I think!
However, I do get the impression that hating on this movie is like hating on your own mother!
Kristina? You hate your own mother? You are despicable!
I LOVE my mommy!
I can’t help that I’m different! It makes me special!
I love your mommy too!
Erm… anyway… Kris, don’t beat yourself up. You’re talking to the guy that thinks MIDNIGHT RUN is one of the greatest movies ever made and I put KNOCKED UP in my top five movies of the year last year (and stand by it!)
Each to their own!
But I still hope your mum disowns you and you’re forced to come and stay with me full time instead of just leaving straight after the sex. You KNOW how cheap that makes me feel!
You ****ing perverts this is a ****ing family ****ing movie site, you ****s.
Don’t make go all The Accused on your asses.
Jelllllllll-a-seeeeeeeee!
I smell someone wanting a threesome! The thing is Grundy, Kris is just TOO precious to me to share so…
… Perhaps you should go shake down Wyv and James.
Psst - between you and me, be VERY wary of James. He can be FAR from gentle, if you know what I mean?
I will get a pinball machine.
Wow, 17 post before it went down hill, that’s gotta be a record.
17? I’d have said that it started to go down hill around about comment 10!
I was Comment 10!
Fantastic!
What do I win?
Oh is this going to ****ing be like the ****ing Dark Knight box office ****ing fiasco all over a ****ing gain when you ****ers screw me over with my ****ing prize and give me ****ing nothing?
And, let’s be honest, the Harry Dean Stanton anal sex comment over in the Tropic Thunder review was the real barrel scraper!
And I wrote that too!
DOUBLE ****ING PRIZES!
I just thought ‘going The Accused on their asses’ is what did it. I guess I was wrong.
You were indeed! There’s not many titles I possess with pride but “King of Inappropriateness” is one of them!
first half of Pineapple Express was about half as good as Knocked Up; the second half was almost as bad as Freddy God Fingered
I can’t and won’t believe this for one second!
I’m seeing it tomorrow!
I got a teammate!!!! Yeah! Join the revolution!
You’re all ****ing nuts.
Fine line between genius and nuts!
No, your moronical.
I’m an asshole, it’s you’re not your.
Though it is ironic considering the post.
I can’t believe you’re scraping the barrel WITH ME! LOL
I’m not that rough…
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