Pineapple Express

Review by Sean Lynch

There is nothing worse than sitting on the train on the way home from an annoying day at work and having to listen to "scenester" fools gargling on about how their now ex-favourite band is too popular, and that "they aren't as good as they used to be" - as well as that old favourite "I was a fan of them before they got famous".

It's annoying. They spend their entire life walking around trying to plead to the uninterested masses about some obscure form of entertainment, and when the masses finally click into gear, they start whinging because now people are paying attention.

What's upsetting is - I'm one of those people.

The perils of the Hollywood success of my underground heroes has burned me in the past. First it was Adam Sandler - post The Wedding Singer, not a single person would believe I had owned every comedy album and seen every Galaxy-Aired SNL since 1995 long before anyone in Australia knew his name.

Then it was Will Ferrell - I vividly recall me and my brother being the only ones in the cinema to see A Night At The Roxbury and The Ladies Man... yet now everyone claims that movie as if they were there from the very beginning. When, it just ain't true.

And now it's happening to me all over again!

The days of being a nerdy Year 8 sitting at home on a Saturday evening - tuning into Freaks & Geeks (the original Apatow classic) for the two episodes it aired in Prime time before Channel Nine moved it to the midnight slot (and defying bedtime in order to watch it), they are some of my warmest memories.

You can say what you like, but that show was a defining piece of entertainment in my life's history. And Seth Rogen and Josh Franco were very much a part of that history (in fact, I still have an unhealthy deep seeded love for Linda Cardellini to this day).

These guys grew up with me, they were a part of my life - and just as real as anything in the schoolyard of my High School in Melbourne. And it wasn't a fad, it wasn't a "Hey, I'll lend you this DVD of a show 6 years old" - it was real time.

So when Superbad came out and reinvented what comedy could be in the new millennium, a sense of pride swept over me. Finally, my boys are the getting the recognition they deserve!

But then, slowly but surely, everyone seemed to be an expert on Rogen, Jason Segal and Judd Apatow. All the tidbits of information I'd devoured over a period of 10 years were being digested via YouTube and Wikipedia within minutes by "Johnny-Come-Lateleys". My memories, soured, as my geeky imaginary friends had now been accepted into the "cool, popular" mainstream group.

So, bear in mind that long winded prologue as we embark upon the latest Rogen penned comedy, Pineapple Express.

The flick harks back to the days of Cheech & Chong and follows the tale of lazy stoner Dale Denton (Rogen) who visits his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) to purchase his weekly stash of weed - but more specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express.

However, things soon go pear shaped when Dale accidently becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and the city's most dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole), and in a panic, dumps his joint filled with Pineapple Express at the scene.

Dale traces it back to him and Saul, the two run for their lives, hilarity and explosions ensue.

The thing is, Pineapple Express isn't un-funny. The star of the show is without doubt Danny McBride who delivers some absolute corkers and is fast becoming the king of the upstaging comedy cameo. There are plenty of big laughs to be had - and not just for the stoner crowd either. At times the flick borders on an out-and-out Action movie spoof, so there is more to it than a lot of coughing and smoke blowing tricks.

The problem stems from the creators themselves. The charm and appeal of the Apatow Gang's movies to date has been the sense of fun created from the cheeky ad-libbing which has served up some of the best moments in every thing from 40 Year Old Virgin to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Cheeky in that it seems like they are getting away with something they shouldn't amidst an already strong script.

But much like the problems that have plagued Mike Myers in The Love Guru and Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro (or pretty much anything since Anchorman) since their names guaranteed Box Office bucks, Pineapple Express seems to be a case of the writer and star being given a little too much freedom. Hell, they've even been given Huey Lewis to sing over the end credits!

Gone is the tight comedic script with some sneaky improvised gems - instead replaced with a whole bunch of average improvised sentences and a few sneaky written gags. In fact, the strongest points of formula and script seems to have been ripped directly from Superbad (comedic ad libbing, chase, friends have emotional argument, friends reform).

Basically, there is a whole lot of yelling, coughing - and in the end - it just seems to come off as a little unfocused and sidetracked.

That said, there are worse things that you could endure, because it is a genuinely fun movie. It's just a little empty when compared to the groups, admittedley near-flawless, previous efforts.

Enjoy to the mainstream boys! I'll miss you.

3 out of 5

Pineapple Express
Australian release: 7th August, 2008
Official Site: Pineapple Express
Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco
Director: David Gordon Green