The great "Movie Stoner Duo Hall of Fame" includes Cheech and Chong, Jay and Silent Bob, Harold and Kumar, and now Dale and Saul, the main characters in the ridiculously funny
Pineapple Expresss. The brilliant team from
Superbad is back with a brand new stoner comedy that is weird, outrageous and bizarre, all while being incredibly funny.
Like
Superbad's Seth and Evan, this time our dynamic duo is Process Server Dale Denton (
Seth Rogen) and his big-hearted drug dealer Saul Silver (
James Franco) who become wrapped up in a deadly drug war after accidentally witnessing a crime. The drug lord and his crooked cop accomplice, played by
Gary Cole and
Rosie Perez, send two thugs (
Craig Robinson of
The Office and
Kevin Corrigan) to track down Saul and Dale. In the process of evading capture, Saul and Dale must deal with quirky middle man Red, played to almost unthinkable perfection by
Danny McBride.
The performances from the cast showcase some of the best comedic acting to date. Franco and Rogen expertly play off each other and there's no doubt that many of the funniest lines were probably born from improvisation. This lends the film the same realistic tone of dialogue that made writers Rogen and long-time friend
Evan Goldberg so great in
Superbad.
The most refreshing part of any Rogen/Goldberg movie is the focus on the relationship between the two main characters. Nobody can capture the real essence of best friends like these two! Where most comedies will drag on with some kind of love interest, their films tend to focus on the "bro-mance" of being someone's BFF. That kind of writing is a rare treasure in a sea of dumbed-down Hollywood buddy comedies.
Now that they've written two spectacular films, the bar will be extra high for Rogen and Goldberg when they treat us to their version of
The Green Hornet in 2010.
Trashwire grade: A