The latest product to roll off the Judd Apatow laugh factory assembly line isn't in the same league with Knocked Up or Superbad, but it doesn't totally suck either. Perpetually stoned Dale (Seth Rogen) is a summons server whose best friend is also his pot dealer, Saul (James Franco). Just as Dale is about to serve papers on the drug lord (Gary Cole) who happens to be Saul's source for some incredibly potent weed known as “Pineapple Express,” he witnesses the criminal and a crooked female cop (Rosie Perez) murdering an Asian rival. But a fleeing Dale leaves behind an obvious calling card, and before long some none-too-bright hit men are hot on the trail of both Dale and Saul. Scripted by Rogen and Evan Goldberg (with an assist by Apatow), director David Gordon Green's Pineapple Express is a stoner buddy spoof that starts out with character-based humor, but then seriously ratchets up the action, so that the third act is basically a series of over-the-top chases, shootouts, and fight scenes that reference other action movies. A subplot involving Dale's teenaged girlfriend (Amber Heard) and her parents (Ed Begley Jr. and Nora Dunn) is good for a few laughs but feels extraneous, especially in a near-two-hour film. Costars Rogen and Franco keep things moving, with the former sporting the same goofball charm he exhibited in Knocked Up, and the latter frequently hysterical in his spot-on characterization of the dealer. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary (by producer Judd Apatow, co-writer Evan Goldberg, director David Green, and costars Ed Begley Jr., Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and James Franco), 32 minutes of “Raw Footage,” a 21-minute “making-of” featurette, 21 minutes of extended/alternate scenes, “Saul's Apartment” outtakes (14 min.), a featurette on “The Action” (13 min.), two segments of table reads (9 min. total), a comic-con panel segment (7 min.), seven minutes of phone booth outtakes, a “Begley's Best” featurette (6 min.), a rehearsal scene (6 min.), an injury report (5 min.), a five-minute gag reel, “Red and Jessica's Guide to Marriage” (4 min.), four minutes of deleted scenes, a featurette on “Stuntmaster Ken,” the alternate-takes segments “Line-O-Rama” (4 min.) and “Direct-O-Rama” (4 min.), the short interview mockumentary “Item 9” (4 min.) segments, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD Live function. Also included is a bonus digital copy. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven comedy.] (E. Hulse)
Pineapple Express
Sony, 117 min., avail. in R or unrated versions, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, Jan. 6 Volume 24, Issue 1
Pineapple Express
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