That’s exactly how he plays it - a man to whom the world that exists beyond his sofa is strange and confusing. He’s not the sweary, untrustworthy pothead writers usually plump for, inspired instead by Brad Pitt’s Floyd in True Romance. His chief concerns are looking after his granny and securing his next hit. His ultra-laidback drug dealer is hilarious, but also as innocent as a puppy. Usually seen scowling in serious films, or scowling and wearing polo necks in Spider-Man movies, here he’s let loose - waaaay loose. He still does his share of bellowing in that Fozzy-Bear’s-angrier-brother way, but also has quieter moments, and comes off extremely likable - even more so than in Knocked Up.įranco is the best he’s been. It’s hardly a bad thing: who wants a comedy to stop while someone has an anguished think and considers the sky?īut Gordon Green is an actors’ director, and that’s what he brings to this party, making Rogen a more rounded character than we usually see from this charming but unlikely leading man. There’s the same casual attitude to getting on with the story, and a familiar earthy look, but there the trademarks stop. In truth, there’s very little to identify this as a Gordon Green film. If you’ve seen any of his previous works, be it the powerful George Washington, or the more ponderous Malick-lite of Undertow, then he is the last person you’d expect to see making a silly drug comedy about a pair of stoners who go on the run after witnessing a murder. Pineapple Express is directed by David Gordon Green, a man who usually makes slow films about people having lots of feelings in ugly houses. Even the dynamic is similar, with a fairly straight-laced loser (in this case, Rogen’s good-hearted but useless process server) trying to temper the hare-brained schemes of his socially maladjusted buddy (James Franco’s bleary drug dealer). It walks the same path between buddy comedy and heterosexual man-love rom-com, a blizzard of gags distracting the audience from a frequent lack of focus. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s second co-writing project, Pineapple Express is a perfect companion-piece to Superbad, their first. So that’s that done - it’s a pun-free zone from now on. Midnight Run meets Last Boy Scout, recast with Cheech and Chong. If we were to get through a review of Pineapple Express without making some kind of play on drugs and associated paraphernalia, we would have our keyboards confiscated for crimes against easy gags.