Pineapple Express (2008) ***

Another hit comedy from prolific uber-producer/writer/director Judd Apatow, Pineapple Express further skews into amoral activity as the two leads are a drug dealer and his client on the run after the latter witnesses a murder by a local drug kingpin. The film contains somewhat graphic, even if in hilarious contexts, violence and extensive marijuana use and certainly promotes a pro-drug message which is quite out of step with many films which try to lace the protagonists with hero qualities that the audience can admire. Here the two leads are so baked half the time they end up causing more trouble for themselves than do the "villains" of the story. It's this influence of drugs which actually gives the slapstick comedy a more realistic feel ironically as Dale (Seth Rogen) states, they're not exactly of sound mind when they're high. Their impaired judgment allows for the suspension of disbelief for some of the film's more outrageous sequences, such as the free-for-all between them and a middleman drug dealer and a car chase to escape a crooked cop during which half of Saul (James Franco) has his foot stuck in the windshield of the car. It may not be good, clean fun, but it's certainly both extremely hilarious and sometimes bitingly topical.

Dale and Saul go through a personal journey of their own as these troubles helps them to forge a more personal relationship rather than simply client and dealer. At the beginning Dale calls into a talk radio show and mentions how off-putting it is when drug dealers try to be your friend as you just want to buy your stuff and get out as quickly as possible. Even when he first visits Saul's apartment, he tries to leave as soon as their deal has been made and it's only the offer of sharing a rare cross joint that gets him to stay. After he witnesses Ted Jones (Gary Cole) and his inside cop executing a man however, Saul is the only person he can turn to for guidance. It should be pointed out that he made this decision while high, not surprisingly. The two are tied to one another by a new brand of weed that hasn't been widely distributed yet, the titular Pineapple Express, which means Ted can figure out who was outside his house by the joint Dale left during his manic escape. The are now on the run, making sure to grab the necessary supplies, more weed and snacks, and can only depend on each other.

Much like Tropic Thunder, the other hit wide release comedy for the month of August, the film certainly has parts that leave the audiences in stitches. Both Rogen and Franco pull off superb physical comedy full of hard hits and what looks like painful, but comical, fighting. The prolonged battle between them and Red (Danny R. McBride) who sells them out to Ted is full of belly laughs as they guys go at it as roughly as possible. Starting with Dale getting hit in the face with an ashtray and ending with Red's head going through the wall, the trio make for one of the best comedic match-ups as their physical and verbal confrontations are guaranteed laughs. This intrepid, yet inept, band does manage to come together in the end with each saving the other at any given time solidifying the three as best friends forever before the credits roll. It's both the comedy and the friendships that work the best in this film before it starts to lose focus in its last half hour.

Apatow comedies, although he did not write this one, he is given story credit, are known to be overlong and tend to overstay their welcome. In The 40 Year Old Virgin, it turned sappy where as here the film shifts into a more violent motif that feels out of place with the rest of the story. Sure the catalyzing murder was brutal, and Red's "execution" was a shockingly serious moment in an otherwise carefree film, but once Dale and Saul try to escape from the kingpin's clutches as the two rival gangs erupt in all-out war, the laughs come fewer and far between and the uncomfortable shift in tone is noticeable to the audience. Every major villain is injured slightly to sideline them until a more graphic, and nauseating death is ready to occur. The last forty minutes is just a violent mess and feels out of step with the rest of the picture. There are still moments that shine comically, such as Dale's fight with Ted running concurrently with Saul's duel with Carol, (Rosie Perez), the dirty cop. Most of the violence however seems over the top and unnecessary and the film would probably have worked better without that final massacre.

Aside from the problematic climax, the film succeeds in being pure entertainment, with a first-rate comedic cast that all perform admirably in getting the laughs. There are no miscast parts and every actor brings everything they have to the table to ensure the audience is enjoying themselves to the fullest. Rogen and Franco make for a delightful pairing, with Franco particularly shining as the dim, but deep, drug dealer who is looking for nothing more than a best friend, which he sees in Dale. Although a bit reluctant to admit his closest friend is a drug dealer, the epitome of that part of his personality he thinks contributes to his loser lifestyle, he comes to accept and embrace Saul by the end of the film as it's a match the audience can root and be content with more than any romantic relationship, such as Dale and his high school girlfriend. There are some missteps, but Pineapple Express is an original and fresh comedy gracing the silver screen and one hell of a romp.

Favorite moment: The coda to the film has our trio sitting at a diner discussing and reveling the events of the film, pointing out their personal favorites and some of the hilarious highlights in their journey. The whole scene feels natural, almost improvised, as if it's the three actors at the end of the shoot discussing what they liked best about the film. It's a fun little scene to end the film on after the violent gang war, and it mirrors what the audience will be doing once they leave the theater. It leaves them with a better taste in their mouths about the film and will remind them why they liked the majority of the film so much.