Seth Rogan in Pineapple Express

Previous installments from Apatow and Rogan include Knocked Up and Superbad, both released in 2007. These films surprised many critics with their mutual box-office success and general popularity; both movies had received R-ratings, and both had endured pre-release complaints over everything from sexism to general filthiness. In the end, however, Knocked Up and Superbad's domestic totals were approximately $150 million and $120 million, respectively.

Pineapple Express vs. Superbad

So how does the third installment of the Apatow-Rogan partnership (fourth if you count 2005's The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, which was written by Apatow and featured Rogan in a smaller role) measure up? Pineapple Express stars Rogan, who wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg (this pair also wrote Superbad). Also like Superbad, Pineapple Express was produced by, of course, Judd Apatow. But Express has more in common with Superbad than its cast and crew.

The plot of Express follows two male friends on a series of whacky misadventures that involve various stages of altered consciousness. Sound familiar? In this case the friends are Dale (Rogan) and Saul (James Franco). In place of Superbad's secondary funnyman Foggle is secondary funnyman Red (Danny McBride). And Express features the same hilariously-choreographed fight scenes and general slapstick that were such audience-pleasers in Superbad (a particularly good Express fight scene takes place relatively early in the movie, between Red and a tag-teaming Dale and Saul).

But unfortunately, the parellels between the two movies more or less end there. Express is lacking the subtler plot and character developments that made Superbad such a charmer.

Why Express Drops the Ball

What made Superbad appealing to so many viewers -- male and female, young and not-so-young -- were the characters. As Seth and Evan, Jonah Hill and Arrested Development's Michael Cera were fresh-faced, naive, and ultimately clueless -- clueless about girls, about sex, about how to stay out of trouble. In other words, they were an endearing, relatable picture of adolescence. In Express, Rogan's Dale and Franco's Saul are too sloppy, silly, and old to be endearing. This is not to say that the actors are old per say (Rogan is twenty-six, Franco is thirty), but the marginally-employed stoner bit just gets, well, sad after awhile. Not to mention the fact that Rogan’s Dale is dating a high school student. That’s supposed to be something of a running gag, because it shows how immature he really is. But in the end the relationship just weighs down the plot, and frankly, it’s a little creepy.

The fact that the script tries to tack on a couple of hokey morals is just an insult. After two hours of stoner jokes, and much talk of how great marijuana is, Dale suddenly realizes that selling and/or smoking excessive amounts of weed might be a bad idea. And the film tries to make some kind of Superbad-like point about the importance of friendship, but it just doesn’t come off as genuine. And the movie wastes two great, veteran actors, Gary Cole and Rosie Perez, in underdeveloped, generic villain roles; they have little to do but spray bullets in every direction and look generally villainous.

All these factors, when combined with underdeveloped and unresolved plot points, add up to one lousy movie. Rogan and Apatow have succeeded in making a mildly entertaining caper movie (emphasis on mildly). But if you want an effective mix of hilarity and heart, stay home and watch Superbad. Or better yet, Knocked Up.

Rogan and Franco in Pineapple Express

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds