Monday, January 23, 2012

30 Minutes or Less



I didn't have any great expectations going into this film, but with a cast that includes Danny McBride, Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari it gave me some hopes for something funny. Even the one tone Jesse Eisenberg gave me a little hope. Part of why I was apprehensive is that Ruben Fleischer who also directed Zombie Land (2009). The story may borrow from an Erie, PA pizza delivery man who was killed by a bomb after he robbed a bank.

The movie plot follows Nick (Jesse Eisenberg), a pizza delivery slacker, who lives with his friend Chet (Aziz Ansari), a teacher with an awesome laser pointer. The first 15 minutes puts you in the car with Nick on a delivery as he has 30 minutes or else the pizza is free. On the last delivery of the night, Nick gets jumped by Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson) who strap a bomb to Nick's chest, and give him ten hours to rob a bank and bring the money back to them so that they can hire an assassin (Michael Pena) to kill Dwayne's father so that Dwayne can receive the inheritance and open a tanning salon as a front for a whore house.

The film is easily compared to Pineapple Express (2008), as the action packed buddy comedy that is reminiscent of Beverly Hills Cop (1984). I am a big fan of Danny McBride ("East Bound and Down") and Aziz Ansari ("Parks and Recreation") who can be vulgar and off the wall in their comedy. Both are over-the-top and along with the writing make for a hilarious film. There were clever references to Facebook and a funny rant by Aziz Ansari on the pricing of Netflix.

I was very entertained by the film and while the film has its drawbacks it never takes itself seriously. The film will be very quotable for you and your friends. For all of these reasons I give it 3 Quacks and a strong recommendation. In the end, it can still be debated how the Erie, PA story impacted the writing of the film, but you will have to watch the film yourself to see if the ending is the same.

(screening date 7/25/11, release date 8/12/11, location Regal Gallery Place 14)

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