Pineapple Express (2008)

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writers (WGA):

Seth Rogen (screenplay) &
Evan Goldberg (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Put this in your pipe and smoke it.

Plot:

A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.

Plot Keywords:

Weed | Murder | Stoner | Drugs | Witness

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Seth Rogen	...	Dale Denton
James Franco	...	Saul Silver
Danny McBride	...	Red
Kevin Corrigan	...	Budlofsky
Craig Robinson	...	Matheson
Gary Cole	...	Ted Jones
Rosie Perez	...	Carol / Female Cop
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Robert
Nora Dunn	...	Shannon
Amber Heard	...	Angie Anderson
Joe Lo Truglio	...	Mr. Edwards
Arthur Napiontek	...	Clark
Cleo King	...	Police Liaison Officer
Bill Hader	...	Private Miller
James Remar	...	General Bratt

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence.

Runtime:

111 min | USA:117 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Korean

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #43851) | Australia:MA | UK:15 (cut theatrical version) | Finland:K-15 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 (cut theatrical version) | Singapore:M18 (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | UK:18 (uncut DVD version) | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:16LV | Sweden:15 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Peru:18 | Italy:VM14 | Malaysia:(Banned) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Norway:15 | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (theatrical rating) | France:U | Brazil:18 | Germany:16 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

During filming breaks, James Franco read 17th-century Jacobean dramas.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Dale asks Saul for a quarter of an ounce of Pineapple Express, but the bag Saul gives Dale clearly contains less than an eighth of an ounce.

Quotes:

Ken: [to Ted and Dale] You, suck my balls. Two times!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kambakkht Ishq (2009)

Soundtrack:

Bird's Lament

A smoking action comedy.

Seth Rogen and buddies return for yet another funny, and often crude, comedy that will surely have just as many detractors as it will have fans. Well, I'm a fan of most of their stuff and this, surprisingly enough as I had low expectations, is one of their better outings so far.

The story concerns a stoner and his drug dealer (Rogen and James Franco, hilarious and far removed from his previous roles) who have to go on the run after Rogen witnesses a murder and leaves the remains of a joint that could only have been supplied by Franco, therefore leaving a clear trail for the bad guys (led by Gary Cole and Rosie Perez) to follow. Danny McBride also appears as a friend who alternately helps and hinders our stoner heroes and the cast is fleshed out by some great support and cameos (Bill Hader is especially hilarious in the prologue).

I have read the reviews complaining that this movie suffers in comparison to other "stoner" comedies. I cannot comment on that because, sadly, I haven't seen enough movies within this particular sub-genre to comment. What I can comment on is how many times I laughed throughout this film and this kept me amused consistently from beginning to end. Where it scores the most points is in it's blending of standard action movie clichés with the fact that the heroes are unfortunately . . . pretty fried. Car chases descend into chaotic messes, fistfights get hilariously confusing and gunfights just end up leaving bullet holes all over the place (except where they are intended to be).

If you don't like this particular group of actors, their brand of humour or the pop-culture references dotted here and there then you will not like this film in the slightest. Everyone else can sit back and enjoy a good number of belly laughs.

See this if you like: Knocked Up, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Hot Fuzz.