Pineapple Express presumably can only be enjoyed whilst high. Bro, this was vastly overrated bro, like, bro. Stoner comedies man, just not my vibe. Smokin' pot, laughin' life away, everything becomes exaggeratively dumb and annoying. Yeah, man. Pineapple Express. Smoke it. On a serious note, as soon as I saw "from the guys that brought you Superbad" (another overrated snooze-fest) I knew this wasn't my batch of weed. Apparently this comedy hosts plenty of laughs, yet predictably, I did not laugh once. A stoner and his drug dealer are on the run after witnessing a police officer and businessman murder an individual.
So, all the shenanigans and apparent bountiful scenes of laughter, are produced from breathing in "Pineapple Express". The pot that would put all ceramic production plants out of business. Bad joke aside, the strength of the film's plot is Rogen and Franco's undeniable chemistry which in turn threw their career trajectories in the correct angle. They hold the story together, and for the most part, are a joy to watch. A shame that Rogen and Goldberg's screenplay truly was absent of any legitimate laughs. I suspect this is down to personal taste. As a person who has never been high and never will be, watching the characters run around in the woods at night screaming and shouting that they are afraid of the dark, is a scenario that I do not and will never relate to. In fact, many of the scenes just pass by without infiltrating my impenetrable soul.
The plot itself was a simple cat-and-mouse crime caper that takes second place to the "comedy". The third act, consisting of a gratuitous shootout at a marijuana factory, was amusing and illustrated some genuine memorable characters. Mostly McBride's Red who just does not want to die. Director Green does integrate some well edited action sequences, particularly a car chase, that adds some much needed excitement. Alas, Pineapple Express is one unfunny locomotive that I shan't be jumping on again anytime soon. "Murder on the Pineapple Express" may have been more apt...
