It's hard out there for a stoner, especially on the "Pineapple Express"
Mark Trammell, Spectrum Editor
Published On: 08/12/2008
Back in 1993, there was an underrated Tony Scott movie written by the then-little-known Quentin Tarantino called “True Romance.” One of the more memorable characters was a heavy pot smoker by the name of Floyd, played by an also then-little-known actor by the name of Brad Pitt. In just a handful of scenes, Pitt created an instantly memorable character that was so stoned throughout the movie that he didn’t even realize how close he came to being caught in the crossfire of both the cops and the mob and ending up dead. This was, of course, part of the joke. In “Pineapple Express,” the latest from the seemingly non-stop cavalcade of comedy that is the Judd Apatow production company, that is the whole joke, essentially.
To wit, the perpetually-stoned Dale Denton (Seth Rogen, of “Knocked Up,” another Apatow production) stumbles upon a murder and flees to the relative safety of his drug dealer, Saul Silver (James Franco, of the “Spiderman” films). When the slightly quicker-on-his-feet Dale realizes that the murderer was Saul’s own drug dealer and that the weed he disposed of at the scene - aka the “pineapple express” of the title - can be traced back to Saul (who is the only one in town selling it), the two get out of Dodge and go on the run.
Sure enough, said drug dealer, Ted Jones (Gary Cole, the dad in the “Brady Bunch” movies) puts two-and-two together and the hunt begins, with two of his bumbling henchmen, Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan, who played a stoner type on TV’s “Grounded for Life”) and Matheson (Craig Robinson, of “The Office”) in hot pursuit. Making matters worse, one of the participants in the crime is a corrupt policewoman, Carol (a game Rosie Perez, of “Do the Right Thing”), so they can’t go to the cops for reasons beyond the whole drug-dealing issue.
It isn’t long before their nearest and dearest are in the line of fire as well, including Saul’s pal Red (Danny McBride, of another Apatow comedy, “Drillbit Taylor”) and Dale’s high school-age girlfriend, Angie (sexy Amber Heard, of “Alpha Dog”). Dale is like the every-stoner of the flick - the Tom Hanks of the movie, as it were - whereas Saul is more like good old Floyd, perpetually unaware of just how much trouble he’s in at any given time. It’s sort of like the show “Weeds,” but with less women and more gore.
Billed as the first “stoner action flick,” “Pineapple Express” lives up to the title, managing to eke laughs out of situations that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t really be very funny. For instance, characters are shot with alarming regularity, and often in horribly bloody, cringingly-gory ways. One character has part of his ear blown off, another has part of his foot blown off, and yet another one spends half the movie with two gunshots in his gut! And yet, the film somehow manages to maintain its sometimes precarious balance between pathos and humor.
This may well have to do with Apatow’s seemingly odd choice of director, David Gordon Green, best known for the decidedly serious dramas “Snow Angels” and “All the Real Girls.” Though not without a sense of humor, those films, along with Green’s other work, actually serve as a plus instead of a debit against him. By making the action realistic when called for, and way over-the-top and therefore comical in other instances, the film manages to work the vast majority of the time, though, as with most Apatow productions, the film could’ve worked even better if it were just a hair shorter. Still, it’s a definite step up from the decidedly lackluster aforementioned “Drillbit Taylor” and about as good as the silly-but-fun “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.” (Can’t wait for the sequel, “You Don’t Mess with the Lohans,” in which a crazed Dina Lohan single-handedly takes out everyone who ever dissed her daughters with a can of Aqua Net, a lighter and an assist from Lindsay’s GLAAD peeps).
The cast is fun, and Franco makes a convincing stoner, as fans of the late, much-lamented Apatow-produced TV show “Freaks and Geeks” no doubt are well aware of. Likewise, Rogen, who co-scripted along with his partner and fellow “Superbad” scribe, Evan Goldberg, is a reliable chunky-but-loveable schmuck who you can buy landing a hottie like Heard on charm alone, even if you doubt he can hold onto her.
Perez and Cole both manage to ably straddle the line between scary-funny and scary-scary, with Cole slightly more of a doofus than Perez, who has some convincingly thrilling car chase scenes. (Fun fact: Perez had never driven before this film.) Meanwhile, McBride, who caused a mild sensation with the cult hit “The Foot Fist Way,” is a star-in-the-making, and the next-most-likely to get his own Apatow-starrer in the not-so-distant future. He’s like another Tarantino character, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) from “Reservoir Dogs,” only funnier.
All of that said, Apatow can’t possibly continue at the rate he is without the resulting films suffering in quality. As it stands, the seams are clearly starting to show. How many more films about clueless, good-natured-but-foul-mouthed stoner shlubs who still manage to land fierce hotties can the world stand? Until that time comes, and more of his flicks land with a thud instead of as box office gold, I’m guessing long enough to at least ensure his daughters get through college with all bills fully paid. And, hey, better that than dealing drugs for a living, right? Now that’s a scary life, as “Pineapple Express” shows in spite of the silliness. Cheech and Chong better watch their backs, because, as this film shows, it’s a jungle out there.
Email: kscopefeatures@yahoo.com
