Pineapple Express

A stoner action movie: Seth Rogen went around the promotional circuit bragging it was the first of its kind. I'm not quite so confident of that claim, although it sounds quite plausible; but it is at least a very welcome change from the outworn "stoner comedy" setup.

Seth Rogen plays Dale Denton, a slacker process server with a girlfriend in high school and an irrepressible taste for marijuana. After procuring some incredibly rare weed (the titular Pineapple Express) from his dealer, he witnesses a murder -- but in fleeing the scene, manages to leave a clue betraying his identity. Thus the scene is set for a movie in which Denton will be forced to confront violent drug dealers and the wayward nature of his life.

The movie may be more an action movie than a comedy, but it's careful to keep to a tone of farcical amusement. The actors certainly don't want the audience to ever make the mistake of getting too invested in what's happening ... they routinely telegraph what's going to happen in advance, then distract themselves and the audience with a drug-heavy pause ... and then deliver what the audience knew was going to come. It's certainly not perfect; the humor scenes routinely go a bit too long, as is the way of these things; but it's a fun ride. 3 stars , and perfect for a combination comedy/action distraction.