Runtime: 111 minutes
Directed by: David Gordon Green... which seems odd now considering his career trajectory
Starring: Many different famous faces
From: Columbia
Yes, I revisited this film last night so the review would be posted today, because “lol, 420.” The film hadn't been seen since 2008 and my tastes aren't quite the same as back then when it comes to humor. My opinion has changed on a number of people involved w/ Express: David Gordon Green, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, then there's Amber Heard... I did not watch or pay attention to that trial so this is not the most reliable statement but she and Depp probably were abusive to each other so what a mess.
Anyhow, after revisiting Pineapple Express—it'd probably have been better if I was stoned! The humor was hit or miss (of course, all the vulgarities and yelling was not always loved by me), the story could ramble on at times, the characters could be nothing more than caricatures. Plus, in 2025 the subplot of “Rogen dates Heard, who is 18 but still in high school” is creepier now, even if it was always “edgy” at best and “gross” at worst.
All that said, Pineapple Express is still fine. The film is a silly stoner comedy where a process server accidentally witnesses a drug dealer and a cop murder a rival, and he drags his weed dealer into the mess. Yeah, the interactions between Franco, Rogen and McBride are goofy and sometimes puerile-I guess it's still “bros being bros.”
At least there are some laughs along the way, including various crude moments; what helped make the movie “fine” in my eyes were the other elements, actually. It was a decent cast full of familiar faces (including Ken Jeong before The Hangover), the soundtrack was pretty rad as it spanned different genres/usually wasn't the same old songs that felt cliché even in '08, the action beats went harder than you'd expect in a stoner comedy, and the movie was shot rather well-especially compared to modern standards-by cinematographer Tim Orr.
Pineapple Express doesn't change my ambivalence towards “modern comedy” and my general avoidance of such. That said, I was relieved that despite some lines and moments that have aged, there are enough merits where the movie did not turn me off.
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