I need a comedy today to pick me up from a particular funk I am in and while I could have chosen any number of comedies, for come reason I decided on one that is raunchy and slightly disturbing since it is based (although denied by the filmmakers) on an actual event. It takes a certain special kind of insanity to take an actual event that took place, which you can read here, and give it the Hollywood treatment and turn it into a comedy staring some of the best comedians around. Oh and Jesse Eisenberg is in this movie as the hapless hero.
Small-town pizza delivery driver Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) stumbles into an elaborate crime scheme when he’s abducted by a pair of ambitious criminals (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who coerce him into robbing a bank on a strict timeline. Desperate, Nick implores his former best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) to help him out of the predicament. But with each attempt to thwart the would-be criminal geniuses, Nick and Chet find their dire situation spinning faster out of control. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Once you look past the fact that a comedy film has been made out of an event that is surreal and tragic, this is a pretty solid comedy film. Sure, some people will be all butt hurt about this, but I can kind of separate the two items and take them at face value. 30 Minutes or Less is really one of the better unseen comedies of the past year, which seems to marry absurd comedy with the raunchy humor that permeates all R-rated comedies. But it is the cast of characters that have come together that give this movie that extra edge in the comedic range and makes for an enjoyable comedy.
You have Danny McBride (Kenny Powers bitches), Nick Swardson (ignore that Bucky Larson film), Aziz Ansari (Parks and Rec FTW), and Jesse Eisenberg all coming together and pairing off in a film that is filled with quick wit, sarcastic quips and some fairly entertaining, crude humor. I actually like this collaboration of actors coming together as each have a certain style and timing that brings a bit of randomness to the proceedings. I enjoyed McBride and Swardson as the bumbling criminals who put together this shit brained plan that ultimately get flipped on them. For me though, the highlight of the film and star of it all is Michael Pena. Holy hell was his character fucking entertaining. He plays the hired hitman and just owns the damn scene every time he is on screen.
I will say that the film has a few shortcomings, mainly the narrative and pacing of the film. It seems a bit disjointed and fractured in terms of pacing and the jokes are all over the place. If you can look past the lack of filmmaking technique and focus on the comedy, you will enjoy the movie a lot more because of it. I liked the off the wall comedic moments and for an R-rated comedy it delivers that laughs. The cast is one of the best parts of the film and for that, I can enjoy the film a whole lot more.
*images via RottenTomatoes
