PINEAPPLE EXPRESS : EARLY REVIEW

Well, this is not the sneaky little nugget of sleeper goodness, I had hoped it would be. It is in fact, quite stupid...which is the point.

It's like watching a bad Freaks and Geeks fan-fiction, spin-off skit made by friends. ...If you had friends who would make that...

...Look, the point is you laugh because they're your friends. It's obvious quality is meant to be a non-factor. The laughs are the point, but it still feels like a first draft gone directly to filming.

A few of the gags did genuinely make me laugh, but I felt dirty about it later. The dialogue is horrible and sloppy plot arcs are left dangling. What little logic there is, is abandoned about ten minutes into the movie, so suspension of disbelief (and probably some imbibition) is a requirement.

I especially had an issue with the main character's love interest. The annoyingly unrealistic statutory rape aspect of her character was just really unnecessary, sexist, and not cute.

As I've said, almost all potentially offensive humor can be saved by wit and by just plain being really funny. Simon Pegg kicking an elderly woman in the face, in Hot Fuzz? Yes. Seth Rogan having a girlfriend in high school? Nope, not at all. The audience radiated discomfort, not amusement.

Still, I can easily see a small group of friends stumbling upon this on late night cable and hurting themselves laughing at the WTF absurdity and Apatow-style non sequiturs.

...But going to the theater for this??

Naw. I wouldn't.

As much as I love The Freaks, can't recommend sober, movie-money on this.

Now, I will say I noticed many people in my screening audience, commenting that they loved this, but I also heard one guy whisper "This is stupid" during the movie. So, I do believe this is a 'love it' or 'hate it' type of film.

If you're tiring of Apatow, stay away.



PARENTS: With the typical, tired, phobic, and lame homosexual jokes, you'd think it was written by kiddies, but nope.

Between that, a teeny bit a of gore, drug use, expletives, and the statutory rape-as-light entertainment...Yeah, it's made for immature adults, not kids.

P.S. I do have to give the Apatow camp props for giving the woefully underemployed Rosie Perez a job. I grant you, her voice is annoying, but the woman deserved to be bigger than she was. She's a great actor.

P.P.S. Another *fat sassy black woman makes an appearance in this movie.