Pineapple Express

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Gary Cole
Directed by David Gordon Green
Rated R

This is another movie that has received Judd Apatow's blessing, and to his legion of fans, this movie will probably rank somewhere below the late summer entry of 2007, Superbad. The reason being: Pineapple Express doesn't have a naturally funny premise. It's not about two guys who shouldn't score hot chicks trying to score hot chicks. This is about two potheads on the run from guys who want to kill them. As evidence of their intentions, the bad guys shoot several people along the way. That's why it's hard to fit everything together when the two worlds collide.

Dale (Seth Rogen, who also co-wrote the script) is a process server, and he's on his way to subpoena another ne'er-do-well named Ted (Gary Cole). Before he walks up Ted's sidewalk, Dale enjoys a brand new joint made from Pineapple Express, a rare blend of marijuana so potent, his dealer Saul (James Franco) compares it to God's vagina. I'm still not sure how that works.

But mid-toke, Dale sees Ted blow a guy's brains out, the blood splattering all over the windows. Stunned and afraid, Dale tries to leave the scene but repeatedly rams into cars parked along the street. The commotion alerts Ted and a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) to his presence, and the only lead they have is the joint Dale tossed from his car while making his escape.

The only catch is, Ted recognizes the Pineapple Express because he's one of the city's big drug suppliers, and within a couple of phone calls, he could track the pot down to the dealer, putting both Saul and Dale in serious danger.

The buddy aspects of Pineapple Express are incredibly rewarding. It reminded me a bit of Midnight Run, the great crime comedy with Charles Grodin and Robert DeNiro. Dale and Saul have one thing in common: Weed. Otherwise, they're pretty different, and Rogen and Franco capture the clashing personalities perfectly. In fact, this is the best I've seen James Franco since he masterfully embodied James Dean in an Emmy-nominated performance for a TV movie about five years ago.

The action, while well-plotted and executed as furious chases and races against time, manage to keep the humor alive for about 90 minutes. There's a hilarious fight between Saul and Dale and Red (Danny McBride), another drug dealer who works for Ted. In part because you can't take these characters too seriously, it's goofy violence, even though it's fairly violent and surprisingly bloody.

But when we get to the payoff, Pineapple Express loses its sense of humor and develops a sense of purpose, which is exactly what a movie like this doesn't need. The characters take on traits they've never shown before and the stakes become, if you'll pardon the expression, too high.

It's worth seeing for James Franco, however, whose comedic timing is terrific and who makes Saul more than the caricature most actors would allow him to be. 

There are still some very funny moments here, and the dialogue is first-rate. Even the throwaway lines beat a lot of punchlines in most of the comedies this year. But this one suffers in comparison not only to other Apatow movies, particularly Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Superbad (another Rogen script), but also Step Brothers, which is as stupid as it could possibly be, and rightfully avoids a conclusion that betrays the characters it had built for an hour-and-a-half.