Pineapple Express (2008)

Pineapple Express (2008) is the story of two stoners (Seth Rogen and James Franco) who unwittingly find themselves embroiled in murder, police corruption and drug warfare. There's plenty of wackiness, stoner humor, situational and slapstick comedy, but the film has far more sophistication than I would have expected from a Judd Apatow affair. Apatow serves as producer (and it's clearly his ensemble), but the direction from David Gordon Green lends the film a nice finesse.

Green frames the story with a nice little exposition on marijuana, first on talk radio, and later at the requisite diner conversation scene (one of my favorite, in fact). But he's never dogmatic or overbearing. The real story is the relationship between Saul and Dale ("Who is this Dale Denton?"), cemented by James Franco's fantastic performance. He timing is impeccable, and his Saul the pot dealer is incredibly sweet and endearing. It's him, of course, but he's hysterical. I think I fell in love with him in Freaks and Geeks, and certainly in Acting with James Franco, but this seals the deal.

The film has a distinctly 70s vibe, from the transitions to the lengthy conversations, and some contrived wackiness. And it's a fun ride. I'm pleasantly surprised to see David Gordon Green, who debuted so brilliantly and beautifully with George, Washington and All the Real Girls, branch into comedy. His DP is Tim Orr, who's worked on Green's previous films, as well as Year of the Dog, directed by another of Apatow's circle, Mike White. Snow Angels, another of Green's films photographed by Tim Orr is now in my Netflix queue.