Pineapple Express (2008, USA)

I really hate the term “bromance”, but after thinking on it a bit, I can find no other word that really encapsulates what Pineapple Express is all about. Sure, it’s also a stoner action comedy, but what it really boils down to is how men relate to one another, albeit in a very, very silly way. The central relationship between Dale (Seth Rogen) and Saul (an extremely funny James Franco) is mirrored by a pair of grumpy hitmen, one of whom keeps complaining that the other has “changed”, as well as by two Asian thugs. Women are generally only around to act as foils for Dale and Saul’s growing friendship, either emotionally (Amber Heard as Dale’s high-school girlfriend), or physically (Rosie Perez as a bad cop).

All this aside, Pineapple is really, really funny. It was a major inspiration to pull in David Gordon Green as director – known for his small indie dramas, Green gives the film a grubby, lived-in look. If the plot is generally unbelievable, the world that Dale and Saul inhabit is not. The interior spaces are filled with details that speak to the mostly sedentary lives of lower-level drug dealers, and the exteriors are both anonymous and familiar. Green also shoots some of the funniest action sequences I’ve ever seen. They’re messy, uncoordinated, and totally believable (well, up until that Daewoo thing). How else would you expect a couple of stoners to fight?