A process server and his marijuana dealer wind up on the run from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after he witnesses his dealer's boss murder a competitor while trying to serve papers on him.
Lazy court-process clerk and stoner Dale Denton has only one reason to visit his equally lazy dealer Saul Silver: to purchase weed, specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express. But when Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop and the city's most dangerous drug lord, he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Dale now has another reason to visit Saul: to find out if the weed is so rare that it can be traced back to him--and it is. As Dale and Saul run for their lives, they quickly discover that they're not suffering from weed-fueled paranoia: incredibly, the bad guys really are hot on their trail and trying to figure out the fastest way to kill them both. All aboard the Pineapple Express.Written by
Anonymous
James Franco's line "It smells like God's vagina" was actually originally improvised by Seth Rogen. James Franco told him it wasn't funny, then used the line in the next take. See more »
Goofs
When the lady cop checks Dale's record in the squad car, the message appears "Arrest on Site" rather than "Arrest on Sight". See more »
Quotes
Saul:
[both are running away, Saul jumps into nearby dumpster]
Hey, in here!
Dale Denton:
[comes to a surprised stop]
What? WHOA! I gotta get to a phone, man, COME ON!
Saul:
[tired]
Why?
Dale Denton:
Why? Why, look! OK, if Red tells Ted's guys about
[pants]
Dale Denton:
my name, They'll go to my apartment,
[pants]
Dale Denton:
And there, I have Angie's name!
[flailing arms]
Dale Denton:
And they could put that all together, and they'll find us, Let's go!
[...] See more »
Crazy Credits
On the font of the subtitles on the DVD (Unrated version), the edges of the letters have a serrated style and resemble the edges of marijuana leaves. See more »
Alternate Versions
For its UK cinema release the film was pre-cut by the distributors to remove a scene showing teenagers smoking a strong form of marijuana in order for the film to receive a '15' certificate. The footage was restored for the DVD and the certificate raised to '18'. See more »
You can check off "stoner comedy" and "action/crime spoof" on Judd Apatow's list of concepts for comedies. "Pineapple Express" basically takes the very best of stoner comedy (a genre that has a small but faithful following) and mixes it with clever, over-the-top action and violence.
It's basically another notch on the idea belt for Apatow Productions who have hit very few bumps on the way to comedy fame and fortune since 2005's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin. "The result is a lot of fun, ridiculous, but quality laughs, though without that down-to-earth humanity that made Apatow's previous hits lovable and have a broad appeal. This one is strictly about being funny and while it definitely is, it's not up to par with earlier films like "Virgin," "Knocked Up" or "Superbad."
I was privileged enough to attend an advanced screening in Chicago and was delighted to get an early glance at how this one compared to previous Apatow films. The raw, improvised, awkward humor that is the group's trademark was definitely there, but I have to admit it was stale at first. Seth Rogen, who plays a pot-loving mid-20s process server (tells people they're sued) named Dale has sat too long in the lovable loser protagonist chair. He's not a whole lot different than his "Knocked Up" role. He's too funny to do that and it's time he experiment or go back to a supporting role like in "Virgin." Truthfully, this film could not survive relying on the same style dialogue as previous Apatow movies alone and gladly it doesn't.
One reason is because the other stars have not had too much Apatow exposure. James Franco as the dealer Saul is a much welcomed change of pace. He's not a show-stealer, but he's the more interesting and likable of the two main roles. His character is naive and funny in a more subtle way. In his first major comedic role, I have to say I was very pleased with the results.
In general, the relationship dynamic of a pot smoker and his dealer is not as compelling and real as let's say two best high school friends like in "Superbad," which was written by the same writers, Rogen and Evan Goldberg. While they recognize this and try to tell the story of Dale and Saul creating a friendship, it doesn't really work. You'd rather Dale and Saul just do stupid stuff and laugh at them than listen to them argue and other pointless subplot friendship stuff.
So what sets this film apart as a comedy instead of it being just okay is the action comedy aspect. The final scene in this film is unbelievably funny and redeeming of any apathy you have toward it, especially if you get what it's doing. It spoofs every typical action film sequence and in terrific stoner fashion. All the film's action is clever and way over-the-top with people over- shooting each other, slamming each other into walls and other things that in real life one would never survive, but these guys do. It's not believable, but it's really funny.
Honorable mentions in the violence regard goes to Danny McBride who plays Red, the guy above Saul on the pot ladder who is sort of a self-proclaimed Chuck Norris figure mixed with a closet homosexual. His humor is right out of the Apatow vein but was definitely fresh. Also Craig Robinson ("The Office") is beginning to get his name out there as a comedian with this bad guy hit-man role. Several other lesser roles are also pretty hysterical. The only characters that didn't work for me were Gary Cole's (as much as he's a good actor, the part is just weak) and Rosie Perez's, who even if they chose her because she's a weird fit, is just a weird fit.
In its truest form, this is a stoner comedy and that's important to know. While Apatow's past films might have been for a diverse crowd, this is definitely not something that older adults with no hippie background will enjoy all that much. It's not as stupid as other stoner films that draw on dumb things like naked women to draw interest (sex is virtually never brought up in this film), but it doesn't shy away from ridiculousness either. If any part of you likes stoner comedy, this film will instantly become your favorite of the genre. If not, you should still find things to like about "Pineapple," but don't come in expecting bigger and better than other Apatow films previously mentioned.
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You can check off "stoner comedy" and "action/crime spoof" on Judd Apatow's list of concepts for comedies. "Pineapple Express" basically takes the very best of stoner comedy (a genre that has a small but faithful following) and mixes it with clever, over-the-top action and violence.
It's basically another notch on the idea belt for Apatow Productions who have hit very few bumps on the way to comedy fame and fortune since 2005's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin. "The result is a lot of fun, ridiculous, but quality laughs, though without that down-to-earth humanity that made Apatow's previous hits lovable and have a broad appeal. This one is strictly about being funny and while it definitely is, it's not up to par with earlier films like "Virgin," "Knocked Up" or "Superbad."
I was privileged enough to attend an advanced screening in Chicago and was delighted to get an early glance at how this one compared to previous Apatow films. The raw, improvised, awkward humor that is the group's trademark was definitely there, but I have to admit it was stale at first. Seth Rogen, who plays a pot-loving mid-20s process server (tells people they're sued) named Dale has sat too long in the lovable loser protagonist chair. He's not a whole lot different than his "Knocked Up" role. He's too funny to do that and it's time he experiment or go back to a supporting role like in "Virgin." Truthfully, this film could not survive relying on the same style dialogue as previous Apatow movies alone and gladly it doesn't.
One reason is because the other stars have not had too much Apatow exposure. James Franco as the dealer Saul is a much welcomed change of pace. He's not a show-stealer, but he's the more interesting and likable of the two main roles. His character is naive and funny in a more subtle way. In his first major comedic role, I have to say I was very pleased with the results.
In general, the relationship dynamic of a pot smoker and his dealer is not as compelling and real as let's say two best high school friends like in "Superbad," which was written by the same writers, Rogen and Evan Goldberg. While they recognize this and try to tell the story of Dale and Saul creating a friendship, it doesn't really work. You'd rather Dale and Saul just do stupid stuff and laugh at them than listen to them argue and other pointless subplot friendship stuff.
So what sets this film apart as a comedy instead of it being just okay is the action comedy aspect. The final scene in this film is unbelievably funny and redeeming of any apathy you have toward it, especially if you get what it's doing. It spoofs every typical action film sequence and in terrific stoner fashion. All the film's action is clever and way over-the-top with people over- shooting each other, slamming each other into walls and other things that in real life one would never survive, but these guys do. It's not believable, but it's really funny.
Honorable mentions in the violence regard goes to Danny McBride who plays Red, the guy above Saul on the pot ladder who is sort of a self-proclaimed Chuck Norris figure mixed with a closet homosexual. His humor is right out of the Apatow vein but was definitely fresh. Also Craig Robinson ("The Office") is beginning to get his name out there as a comedian with this bad guy hit-man role. Several other lesser roles are also pretty hysterical. The only characters that didn't work for me were Gary Cole's (as much as he's a good actor, the part is just weak) and Rosie Perez's, who even if they chose her because she's a weird fit, is just a weird fit.
In its truest form, this is a stoner comedy and that's important to know. While Apatow's past films might have been for a diverse crowd, this is definitely not something that older adults with no hippie background will enjoy all that much. It's not as stupid as other stoner films that draw on dumb things like naked women to draw interest (sex is virtually never brought up in this film), but it doesn't shy away from ridiculousness either. If any part of you likes stoner comedy, this film will instantly become your favorite of the genre. If not, you should still find things to like about "Pineapple," but don't come in expecting bigger and better than other Apatow films previously mentioned.