PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
CAROLINE: I had the unexpected pleasure of actually enjoying the new comedy “Pineapple Express,” starring one chunky Seth Rogen and one cute James Franco among others. I was fully prepared for it to be stupid and unfunny, but I was totally into it.
RYAN: I had zero interest in seeing this and I feel sorry that you had to see it. But if you say you liked it, then I’ll have to live with that. What about it did you enjoy?
CAROLINE: It’s a total stoner movie but in a much less annoying and gross way than the Harold & Kumar flicks. I laughed out loud several times despite seeing it alone. I was afraid that the people around me were thinking, “Who’s this crazy girl laughing all by herself?”
RYAN: I think it’s good that you laughed considering the film’s genre. Do you have to have tried pot in your life to appreciate the humor? I can only speak for myself, but as someone who’s never done it, I find this kind of humor irritating.
CAROLINE: I’m not a stoner myself, but all the pot references were hilarious. The funny thing is it’s actually an action movie just as much as it’s a comedy, kind of like “Get Smart.” There are explosions and shoot-outs and wayward cops in the form of Rosie Perez. So even though I know what you mean about the drug humor, the delivery is so funny that it’s universal. And honestly, I think James Franco was even funnier than Seth Rogen.
RYAN: That’s shocking to me!
CAROLINE: I know! He really truly looks like he’s stoned all the time, and his one-liners are brilliant. You can tell there’s a lot of ad libbing in the movie.
RYAN: I’ll take it. I want to allow James that versatility.
CAROLINE: I read that Seth Rogen was originally supposed to play the James Franco role, but it turned out to be perfect this way. And don’t forget – one of our favorites, Judd Apatow, produced the film.
RYAN: What comedy hasn’t he produced in the last two years?
CAROLINE: Seriously.
RYAN: Any women other than Rosie Perez in it?
CAROLINE: Come to think of it, no. As usual with Judd Apatow films, it’s very male-centric and juvenile but also hilarious. Other cast members include Danny McBride, the dude from “The Foot Fist Way,” the hilarious annoying boss from “Office Space,” Gary Cole, and Kevin Corrigan, who you’d totally recognize. Not to the mention some of the usual Apatovian actors like SNL’s Bill Hader and Craig Robinson from “The Office.”
RYAN: Comparing this film to other comedies of the year, is it a must see?
CAROLINE: I thought it was pretty damn funny, but I’d recommend seeing it only if you go in with low expectations. It feels like this summer’s “Superbad” but with older characters.
RYAN: Is it really profane like that?
CAROLINE: No, just that it’s R-rated, unexpectedly funny and coming out in August when all the big summer blockbusters have died down.
RYAN: Did it make you want to leave the theater and smoke the cannabis?
CAROLINE: [laughs’ Not in the least. Actually, one of the points of the film is that these guys start to feel like losers for being high all the time. It’s totally a buddy movie; the buddies just happen to really love smoking pot.
RYAN: And the most important question for films like this – was it too long?
CAROLINE: Oh yes, by about 10 or 15 minutes. When the action really heats up at the end, they could have trimmed a little bit. It started to feel slow. But we’ve come to expect that from Judd Apatow.
RYAN: So what’s your bottom line?
CAROLINE: You don’t have to rush out to see it, but I did enjoy it, as will fans of this genre.