I Hate Pineapples, but Love Pineapple Express

The first film I’ve seen after about three weeks of Dark Knight was Pineapple Express. And the film from Seth Rogen and Co. delivers like the stickiest of the icky.

Starring Rogen and James Franco, the stoner action movie is actually lighter on the action and better with the story and characters. They successfully put regular guys who have seen too many action movies into action sequences, but never hit it over the head with the homages and references. But, the strength like always is the writing and acting. Once again they tap directly into what makes their movies different and appealing to audiences. It’s not just a movie about two stoners on the run from drug lords; it’s a movie about friendship. And not just between Rogen and Franco but their connection Danny McBride is thrown into the mix, as well as focus on the relationship between the two hitmen played by Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson. The scenes between the action with Rogen and Franco smoking and sharing with each other or Rogen trying to win back his girlfriend over the phone are the scenes that really draw the audiences in and tap into real life.

That’s where I have a problem with people who cannot see the forest for the trees when it comes to the films of people like Rogen or Kevin Smith. Knocked Up, SuperBad and the upcoming Zack and Miri Make A Porno are not defined by their crude language or ‘shocking’ behavior. Inside those films are real characters, real stories and in the case of the first two, real heart. Sure, people like nudity and dirty jokes, but without some substance to it, those movies would not be the huge grosser they are, they would become The Love Guru. To me, the real disgust should be directed at the people, who I cannot call filmmakers, who manufacture the same garbage time and time again and expect us to spend money on it. It’s failures that hurt the chances of a film that’s different from the norm even get made, let alone make enough to money to get a wide audience.

Not much else to say about the movie. I really enjoyed it and it could be the funniest movie I’ve seen so far this year. Of course, Tropic Thunder does come out next week.