I saw mixed reviews on this one. However, it was a highly rated comedy movie. So I had an urge to watch it.
I was disappointed with how the movie was taking pace. The first 45 minutes of the movie, didn't have much to do. It was too boring.
But right after then, the adventure awaited you! It takes turn, it takes pace, it gets funny, it gets terrific.
James Franco was brilliant. The most amazing thing was he was in the same pajamas whole movie.
It's boring initially but it's a ride of fun, adventure, drugs and crime towards the later end.
Add a Review
-
pawanpunjabithewriter2 August 2019
-
PCT197010 May 2019David Gordon Green has proven his ability to direct an array of films in different genres such as drama, horror and comedy. The latter applies here. Green helms an exceptional comedy. It certainly helps to have Rogen and Goldberg pen the screenplay. This film has excellent direction, screenplay, cinematography, special effects, soundtrack and acting. I don't recall hearing Eddy Grant's, "Electric Avenue" being played on the radio as much as it did in the early 80's after this film was released. This film has a plethora of comedic artists as cast members who all deliver splendid performances. In particular Rogen, Franco, Robinson, Heard, Cole, Hader, McBride and Corrigan stand out. As a matter of fact the entire cast is spot on in their timing, delivery and portrayals. The plot revolves around a stoner process servicer, Dale and his weed dealing stoner best friend, Saul. Dale has to serve papers to Saul's dealer and witnesses the dealer murder his competitor. Dale leaves behind evidence that the dealer immediately recognizes as Pineapple Express. This ignites Dale and Saul running for their lives while being pursued by assassins and corrupt police. The plot is hysterical, violent, riotous, action packed, boisterous, vivacious and has a rib-tickling ending. There are many hilarious scenes in this film. Some of the scenes are when underground military secret testing on marijuana with Private Miller takes place; when Saul explains the evolution of Pineapple Express and the engineering of the cross-joint; the fight at Red's apartment; Saul's chase with the police in hot pursuit; the bombastic fully loaded explosive showdown and the breakfast at the diner. There are also many side-splitting quotes in the film. To this day you'll hear fans of the film quote Dale saying, "You've been served" or General Bratt screaming, "We have a final decision on Item 9. ILLEGAL!". The film is like an embodiment of the peaceful counterculture meets the violent underworld. This is a loveable, memorable and sublime comedy that is a treat to view stoned or not.
-
littlemartinarocena24 September 2008I laughed more in this movie than in any other of its ilk. Mostly thanks to James Franco. Yes, the James Dean Franco. His comedic timing is startling and his sympathy is all consuming. I think the secret is that we can (Franco allows us) see the human being behind this irresistible caricature. I was totally taken by the strange kind of innocence he exudes. We sense a loyal buddy who is capable of extraordinary generosity. His smile is already an iconic movie landmark. Seth Rogen is also very funny but you can guess that this is actually his character. Nothing wrong with that but James Franco's range is infinite. David Gordon Green makes his "commercial debut" very successfully. The showdown at the end takes a bit too long but all in all this movie is throughly worth it.
-
deepfrieddodo11 June 2021A good stoner comedy, as stupid as you might expect, but not really Rogen's funniest work. The standout is Franco, who plays the lovable idiot perfectly, his stupid innocence providing the best moments of the film. The rest of the characters are okay, Rogen plays his regular character, with all the same actors from that usual scene. Some parts are really funny, like the car chase, but at other points interest can drop. It's a good stoner action comedy, not much more.
-
I've seen this a few times and it is enjoyable and stupid. Its clearly aimed at stoners and I was high when I first seen it and just one one of those movies that is hilarious when stoned.
-
beepboopbeep7 August 2008I was not interested in seeing this movie as I thought it would be a stupid teen story. My daughter went with her older cousins, she is only 16 and since the theater had strict security I was forced to go in as her guardian. I am 46 years old and I laughed the whole entire movie. By the end I was laughing SO hard that I could not take it anymore. I think I laughed more than the kids. There were so many laugh out loud scenes and the interaction between the characters was pure gold.It really took me back to my younger days-so for you older people this is really one movie you do not want to miss. Be sure to go to the bathroom before because this is definitely one of those pee in your pants movies.
-
ametaphysicalshark6 August 2008There will be many who will dismiss "Pineapple Express" as immature, overly silly, disjointed, and scatter-shot. There will be others who recognize it as a bizarrely artful, playful, loose genre-bending comedy with some outstanding performances, an inspired comedy script, and some great work from director David Gordon Green, certainly one of the finest young directors around.
The latter group is correct. "Pineapple Express" is, as a whole, the best movie the Apatow clan has produced yet. David Gordon Green is unquestionably the best director to direct one of these movies, but this is also a very different sort of movie than the films he usually directs. Does he rise to the challenge? He certainly does. I never would have believed that he was capable of directing such exciting and fun action scenes, or keep the movie's tone steady despite the different elements it consists of being so wildly disparate, but somehow he pulls it off. No other stoner movie can claim to be as artful and well-directed as this film.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's much-anticipated follow-up to "Superbad" is an excellent screenplay, but expect none of the realism and resonance of that film; "Pineapple Express" is all about the laughs, and the laughs are certainly here, and they are practically non-stop, with just about every scene featuring some great dialogue, acting, or the sort of incredible sight gag this movie does so well. This is just great comedy throughout.
In addition to David Gordon Green's excellent work as director, the film is technically superb. The soundtrack and use of music is brilliant, and frequent Gordon Green collaborator Tim Orr's cinematography is consistently great.
"Pineapple Express" will be an inherently divisive film. It didn't get the sort of critical accolades many previous Apatow clan movies did, and I expect audiences will also be a little less unanimous. Indeed, there's little of the critic-pleasing dramatic scenes Apatow's comedies have been praised for, and even when they do pop up they're usually deflated instantly with a joke, and credit has to go to director David Gordon Green for his expert handling of the film's tone, which never becomes schmaltzy, thank the heavens. Really, the whole film is throughly enjoyable except for the very last scene in the film, which contains one of the film's best jokes, but is really hard to buy given the state the characters are in, and also more than a little forced. Aside from that moment the whole thing works beautifully, quite astounding given the mesh of many different genres and sorts of comedy that this is. You either go with this movies sense of humor or you don't, and I imagine more people will enjoy the first three quarters of the movie, before the big, long action scene happens, and lots and lots of violence occurs. I guess you have to have a somewhat morbid sense of humor to laugh at ALL of the jokes in the film, but so what? There are also some nice little tongue-in-cheek references to the film's influences ("they messed with the wrong melon farmers").
The cast really give it their all. It was great to see James Franco back in a comedic role, and his performance steals the show. Rogen is good as usual, Gary Cole is a perfect villain, and it's nice to see the gorgeous and talented Amber Heard finally make a quality film (and get one of the film's funniest scenes as her character's final scene). The supporting cast are also all good in their roles.
There are a lot of reasons why "Pineapple Express" won't work for many people, and they will probably end up being the very reasons the film works for those who like it. The film's plot is inherently silly to an extent (although this is nowhere near the "Anchorman" style of comedy), and one must be prepared for an outright comedy and not something in the vein of "Knocked Up". "Pineapple Express" may end up being more enjoyable for stoners and those with friends who are stoners, but it works on its own as great comedy because the humor has much more range and scope than just marijuana. One of the best comedies in years.
9/10 -
RobTheWatcher26 November 2021This movie is actually a well written movie that is original and uniquely funny. It's one of those movies you can watch throughout time and it won't get old.
-
serafinogm21 January 2018You can't view this movie from a critical perspective, dissecting it for realism and walking away disappointed because it fell short in some way, it's nothing more than a adult cartoon. This movie is just pure unadulterated entertainment where characters are injured in ways that would have terminated their existence yet somehow, like Wile E Coyote, they survive (Danny McBride's character sustains multiple potentially fatal injuries)! A movie made to entertain and that is just good clean fun and which happily (from my perspective) showcases Amber Heard. Seth Rogan involves himself in movies that I want to watch simply because of his involvement and if James Franco, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride are in it then all the better. You need or want some light hearted fun sprinkled with barrel laughs then this is your vehicle!
-
dcpunkrocka366 August 2008I went into this thinking I was going to see a drugged up Superbad, let's be honest a lot of Apatow Productions aren't very diverse. This really took a step away from the everyday new generation comedy and did something a little different. This movie just felt like an action all the way, if that's what they were going for then bravo. Of course it had more drug use than most movies, but hey it's Seth Rogan, what did you expect.
The actions scenes were not only original, funny, and different, they were entertainingly brutal. This movie does have a lot of gore, but it is used in the best sense. As far as James Franco, I have never been a fan. I thought he was kind of over the top in Spiderman, I haven't really liked him in any other movies, but I loved him in this, in my own opinion he should stick to comedy.
The only reason I gave this a 7 out of 10 is because as I was writing this I more and more felt like it was one of those movies that will get old if you watch it too much. Don't get me wrong, I was highly entertained, but I don't think I want to see it TOO much.
Overall though...Seth Rogan you've done it again. -
pauljraab2 September 2008This started out as funny & clever and completely fell apart in the second half of the movie. For the first half, I'd give it close to an 8 and for the second a zero, so we'll average out at a solid 4. The second half ceased to be funny or clever and turned into one long, idiotic cliché. Honestly, it really felt like we lost our original set of writers & directors after an hour and they had to find a replacement set from some cheesy action movie. It totally came off the tracks when our light-hearted stoners picked up machine guns along with the rest of the thugs. Did the writers quit smoking weed and start doing meth or something? How could this have started so good and ended up such crap? I don't think I could be more disappointed after all the hype this movie has received.
-
Johnny_West27 September 2021If you can get past the constant marijuana presence in every scene, this movie is a really funny and sweet movie. Two guys who hardly know each other become best friends and save each other's lives thanks to their love for marijuana. It is a warm comedy about friendship and it is very funny. Every way it can take a funny turn, it does.
-
Tecun_Uman8 August 2008The only criticism of Pineapple Express you are going to hear is maybe how the climax scene at the end tends to go a little long. OK, it goes way long, but so what? This is a pretty good little buddy movie. Notice that I am not giving it ten stars and saying it is the greatest "stoner" movie ever or the "funniest movie of the Summer," because I don't think it is either of those two. However, I don't want to knock the film because some people have gone overboard in hyping it. First off, it is not a "stoner" film, it is a film that centers around two stoner characters. It is not completely a comedy, because there is a lot of violence and maybe one serious scene. I thought the two main characters worked well off one another. Danny McBride is funny as hell, again. This guy is going to be a major comedic star. Gary Cole and Rosie Perez are totally wasted and I am not even sure why they were cast for such bland roles. If you like comedy and don't mind a little blood and a few f-bombs, you will be entertained, but try not to go in thinking it is the greatest film ever made.
-
Ryanb74722 August 2008Bummer, The one great word to describe this movie. I Really expected this movie to be a lot better. It was a major disappointment. The movie was way too long, it had a lot of failed comedy in it, and it really over exaggerated Pot smokers. Ill admit some stuff was funny in it but it was definitely a let down. Im not quite sure how this movie managed to make it into theaters, and also I do not get why James Franco would even agree to such a stupid movie and part. If I could I would love to get my $7USD back and go see the dark knight again. At least that movie wasn't a let down like this one. My overall rating for this film is a 4/10
-
Michael_Elliott12 January 2009Pineapple Express (2008)
*** (out of 4)
A pothead (Seth Rogan) and his dimwitted dealer (James Franco) hit the road after witnessing a cop (Rosie Perez) murder a man. Pretty soon the two are trying to get away from the cop as well as two drug lords in the middle of a war. As far as pot comedies goes this one here is nearly the best the small genre has to offer. I'm sure Cheech and Chong would give this thing two bongs up as it does contain plenty of laughs but I couldn't help but feel it had the same shortcomings as other Judd Apatow movies. That one issue with this film, as well as the others, is that it runs too long for its own good. Clocking in a nearly two-hours I couldn't help but feel that the film could have lost thirty-minutes and not much would have been missed. This is especially true during the ending shoot out, which just keeps going and going. Outside of that issue this film contains some great big laughs with most of them coming in the form of pot jokes and stuff dealing with stoners. Seth Rogan turns in another winning performance as he gains plenty of laughs from his older guy. James Franco is the real jewel in the film as he's dead-on perfect as the drug dealing loser who just sits around his house getting high, selling pot and watching reruns on television. Franco gets the look down just right but his facial gestures and voice tone perfectly capture that pot head many of us have met in our lives. I thought Perez was pretty much wasted in a thankless role that didn't offer her too much to do. Ed Begley, Jr. has a funny bit as Rogan's girlfriend's father. The screenplay really doesn't offer us any jokes we haven't seen countless times before and in many ways there's not an original idea here but that doesn't really matter because the performances are what makes the movie funny. -
akashgokumar31 May 2021No more James Franco and Seth Rogen... Deeply saddened by the departure.
-
AndeeJay31 July 2008I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening tonight.
I thought the movie was great, a perfect comedy in the respect that it was a perfect escape. I could think about nothing but the movie the whole time I watched it, and to me thats the definition of a good film.
Not to mention the movie was literally laugh out loud funny, and had the whole crowd rolling. Seth Rogan is hilarious as always, but the real surprise is how funny and fitting James Franco fills the burned out drug dealer role. They simply rock as an on screen team! Definitely one of the funniest movies of the year hands down.
If you enjoy Seth Rogan movies, you will enjoy this movie! Seth Rogan! Keep writing man!!!! Hilarious (probably ad-libbed) dialog throughout the entire film! Worth the few bucks to see it! -
doniology12 May 2019I can just watch this movie over and over and crack up every time. The fight scenes are the best EVER. I can't say enough about how funny it is. Watch it with friends!
-
dierregi10 October 2017Rogen and Franco are Dale and Saul, a couple of weed-smoking slackers who get involved in a murder. This type of movie is usually targeted to a young audience and tends to be filled with gross profane jokes, bad language and stupidity. Here we have plenty of bad language and stupidity, but the jokes are actually quite funny.
Having mostly seen Franco in "serious" movies, I was surprised by his comic skills. He is hilarious as the perpetually stoned Saul, blurting out one idiotic sentence after the other. He is also very cute and a bit of eye candy never hurts. Rogen seems always to play the same part of obnoxious, lazy looser, but here he was funnier and slightly more energetic than usual.
The fight scenes were actually hilarious and sort of believable, with people hitting each other like in real life, without any spectacular stunt. They "just" punched randomly, often hitting the wrong target and screaming in pain.
Danny McBride in the supporting role of Red is also funny and so is Begley Jr. in the small role of the crazy father of Dale's girlfriend. -
The_Amazing_Spy_Rises6 August 2008It's been a year since the glorious Superbad hit theaters, and here we go again: Pineapple Express is the best comedy of the year, at least in this man's opinion. I haven't laughed this hard in a very long time, nor have I enjoyed myself more while doing so. It's got everything! Fire, weed, guns, car chases, explosions, a beautiful lady, Ed Begley Jr., and of course, blood and guts. Yes, I'm reviewing Pineapple Express, and not some twisted horror movie.
What makes this movie so great and accessible (to the viewer that is allowed to see it, mind you) is that it's got something for every kind of comedy fan: ridiculous action gags, the witty and snappy Apatow-brand dialog, funny cops, hilarious pot jokes, and James Franco playing the most lovable stoner of all time. What I really enjoyed most about this movie is that it has real heart and is not afraid to make the audience know it. It's a great buddy movie to see with all your friends. It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, you'll love Pineapple Express.
James Franco (yes, THAT James Franco), taking a break from the latest intense drama or Spider-Man film, delivers the funniest performance since Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat. His Saul is quite the character, and many people in my audience were hopelessly in love with and rooting for him. Though he's a supporting role, the movie belongs to Franco in every way. His honest, sweet, and hilariously charming performance will have you dying of laughter. Seth Rogen is no slouch on the jokes as well, though his character is somewhat similar to his character in Knocked Up (I really hope he doesn't begin replicating his performances like some other comedians do). Danny McBride of The Heartbreak Kid is a scene stealer as well. I found him absolutely hilarious and great even if his character was a total ass. Gary Cole (who has become like, a cult favorite of mine) is nothing but a bonus as the "villain".
I think a lot of credit needs to be given to director David Gordon Green, who had to have noticed how excellent the first act of the film is, because the film was in serious danger of pulling a "Hancock" and falling flat on its face after the first act because of a somewhat serious second act (I say somewhat, because this is when our characters realize the danger they're in). However, instead of that happening, Green turns the action packed third act into one of the most ridiculously hilarious scenes of recent memory. Of course, what happens is absurd, but because you've had the time of your life up to that point, you really don't care. Featuring one of the greatest lines of all time (in slow motion, uttered by Franco of course), Pineapple has one of the strongest third acts of any comedy out there.
Another very strong thing about this movie is that it never drags, and is almost a complete opposite of Superbad. The style of the jokes is different as well. In Superbad, we had the hard hitting, gut wrenching laughs, and in Pineapple Express, we have a steady flow of crack ups that leave the viewer in stitches and hurting by the end of the movie. It really is an experience to behold. It's one of the funniest movies of the decade, and one of the best theater experiences of this year. My theater clapped several times throughout the film, including at the end (and at the iconic slow motion line). -
CheeseburgerRandy20 December 2020As a hardcore stoner, I didn't revere this movie like a lot of my friends did. The movie def has moments, but I didnt find it as memeorable like the other movies by this group (Rogen, Franco, etc.)
-
Greasemonkey2019 August 2008I really didn't expect much from this film,and I got less than expected.The film starts out a with a few used moments from Super Bad, maybe from the cutting room floor, then it turns into this bad pot action movie with all the crude humor you can squeeze in. The plot seemed basic and then it became too eccentric. You have a process server who witnesses a murder done by the guy he needs to serve papers to played by Gary Cole, who is wasted by little screen time and bad writing, and by a dirty cop played by Rosie Perez, who is always in uniform, which is kind of dumb that even at the final shoot out, she shows up in uniform. James Franco completely ripped off his character from Brad Pitt's portrayal as a pothead in True Romance, which he stole the scene in the three he was in. We then are introduced to James Franco's supplier "RED" who is trying to be like Nick Swardson and doing a bad job at it. The scene with him is long, out played and just goes in every direction except moving the movie forward. Finally Seth Rogen who seems to have phoned in his performance or just played the same guy from Knocked up and Super Bad just gives a performance that irritates you with the best friend lines. Now the movie made me chuckle a few times but the long dragged out scenes and then switching to a fast paced action movie not only confused me, but made me bored. So I give this movie 1 star out of 10 for a few quick funny moments.
-
braindead-and-happy8 August 2008Yep, this movie made me laugh so hard at one stage I inhaled a piece of popcorn.
This movie is excellent, It has so many funny moments you'll be laughing through the whole thing. I'd even go as far as to say that it's funnier than superbad.
James Franco gives a spectacular performance as a lazy stoner, at times I believed he was actually under the influence...hmmm.
Seth Rogen once again proves he can put on as good a comedic performance as the veteran comics such as Jim Carrey and Will Farrel, His career will definitely go a long way.
The supporting cast was great and made me laugh a lot which is good since usually you'd be relying on the main actors for a laugh.
I'd recommend this movie mainly for Young adults and teens but if your looking for a silly movie good for a lot of laughs, this is it. 10/10 -
djfrost-467868 December 2018This movie is great!!! It was great back then and still is great. Way better than 3/4 of the movies Hollywood puts out today in 2018. Yes it's a 7 or above out 10.
-
RagingSunset17 August 2008Having gone to the midnight showing with a friend, I was as excited as the rest of the country in witnessing what should have been the greatest comedy of the year to every young adult in the audience. Suffice it to say I was very disappointed. The movie turned out to be one big running "Bro" gag after another.
That being said, let's evaluate the plot of the movie. The basic idea of the film is based around a pothead Dale Denton ( Seth Rogen ) who serves court orders and his dealer Saul Silver ( James Franco). Denton, while finding one of his court orders targets Ted Jones ( Gary Cole ) witnesses the shooting of an Asian drug dealer at Jones's very residence! Panicking, he backs into a corrupt cop's car, into another car and then speeds off in a very amusing scene. From this point on, Denton and the man whose home he returns to, Silver, are forced to go on the run from an insanely persistent drug lord and his thugs who want nothing more than to kill Dale Denton for witnessing the crime. NONE of that is bad whatsoever. It is a simplistic plot that fits a frame perfectly for an action/comedy flick.
It is unfortunate that one of the main reasons I mark this film down is for Seth Rogan's performance. Granted, he has always been a popular actor for "Bro" crowds, but this is a new low. NONE of his material was amusing. His character was virtually the same as his character in Knocked Up, with the only difference being that he stays in his life of pot smoking in the conclusion of this film whereas in Knocked Up he changes his lifestyle. Most of the jokes that Dale Denton is privy too are idiotic even for an Apatow film. His slapstick and mannerisms did more to degrade this film's quality than even the sad fact that this movie will probably convince the American public that marijuana is the way to go in life. And no, I am not anti-weed.
As for how the plot is actually carried out, here is another mark down. It progresses in a linear fashion ( trying to find the man responsible for ratting them out to Ted Jones ) and then suddenly flops into a barrage of stupid scenes involving Denton's underage girlfriend and her absurd father. To make matters worse, the comedy that is used throughout the majority of the film to progress the story is as stale as Seth Rogan's performance.
All of that out in the open, I should mention I have NEVER been a fan of James Franco. I will not deny, he was Phenomenal in this film. Every poor line from Seth Rogan and Danny McBride ( actor who played Red ) was redeemed by his performance as Saul Silver. His character, his portrayal and the comedy that ensues was a riot. Most of his lines made me want to wet myself laughing. If any award should be given out for lead actor, it should be given to James Franco.
Gary Cole gave a great performance as a whack bad guy in this film as well, and I would be lying if I said he in any way took away from this film. It is unfortunate that his talents, as well as the talents of James Franco, had to be wasted on this production.
The third character meant to be a protagonist in a certain sense is Red (Danny Mcbride). Unfortunately, I would argue that his character was as worthless as Denton. Every line from his mouth was one bad comedy cliché' after another that we've all heard over and over again from different films. The pathetic white wanna be thug acting like his life is greater than it is can be seen in films like Waiting ( Andy Milonakes ). Granted, it was amusing when Red in all rights should have died early in the movie and kept returning, but eventually you have to wonder why he's allowed to keep living.
What the film lacked in value to the comedy world it also failed to make up for in substance. There was no great lesson or revelation that the viewer was to experience at the end of the film as in more contemporary modern films, nor was there a moment when the protagonist learned his mistakes and made up for them in years to come (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin, Waiting). Perhaps the filmmakers were trying to be different in this regard, but unfortunately it did not redeem the movie. I had heard Olivia Thirlby ( Juno, The Whackness) was to be in the film.. maybe the extras on the DVD will have her and perhaps offer more substance into the film, who knows.
This was a long critique and for that I apologize. If you must walk away with anything from this review, then let it be this: If you want to see James Franco give a memorable performance, this film is for you. But I caution that his acting aside, this is one of those films that makes me weep for how idiotic and simplistic our culture is becoming-- that, and every "Bro" in your town will be there, so be ready for that hell when you get there.
5/10 ONLY for James Franco and Gary Cole.