Seth Rogen has had a not too varied career across a whole host of movies, mostly comedies, and one of his most enduringly popular efforts, buddy stoner flick Pineapple Express, arrives on Netflix next week.
The film sees process server Dale accidentally witness a murder committed by a drug lord and a corrupt cop, and ends up on the run with his dealer Saul when it becomes clear that they can be traced due to the rare marijuana strain that Saul just got a supply of, and a roach of which Dale dropped at the murder site. The blind luck that allows the pair to continue surviving through improbable and intense circumstances, along with the various disguises discovered in Dale’s car that he uses in his job to get people to admit who they are, make their pursuers believe that there’s a lot more to them than there actually is.
It’s largely a familiar but fun excuse to go down the well-worn route of ad-libbed comedic rambling and the humor of being perpetually bemused when you’re high. It veers more into action thriller in the second half, with some of the violence a little at odds with the more knockabout opening, but for the most part, it’s a fun ride.
Prior to the movie’s release in 2008, Rogen had become increasingly visible from multiple appearances in comedies such as The 40-Year-Old-Virgin and Superbad, as well as a starring role in Knocked Up. However, co-writing and featuring in a distinctly adult yet mostly harmless comedy where weed takes a center role was the perfect reinforcement of what we could expect from him, as well as probably being about as personal as his work has ever gotten.
Seth Rogen’s films, both in terms of his performances in them and producing their screenplays, is a little hit and miss (anyone remember The Green Hornet?), but Pineapple Express is definitely one of his more recommendable efforts, and well worth checking out when it becomes available on September 1st on Netflix.
