PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is the new strain of weed purchased by lazy stoner Dale Stenton (Seth Rogen).  When he tosses the roach out after witnessing a killing by a dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole) and a crooked cop (Rosie Perez), it is traced back to Dale and his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco).  The rest of the film has the two, striking up an unlikely friendship, on the run.

The script was written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg based on a story by Judd Apatow, Goldberg and Rogen.  With so many involved in the writing, the narrative is not flawless.  For one, the introduction of the movie which involves an over lengthy setup of the testing of marijuana is not as funny as the filmmakers think.  The appearance of the second dealer, Red makes no sense though the character (Danny McBride) provides more laughter.  The comedy is a combination of stand-up comedy banter, action slapstick (the house fight sequence) and parody of the pot smoking scene.  It is interesting to note that even if the narrative may go all over the place (which it thankfully, does not), the filmmakers can still pull out laugh-out loud hilarity.  The romantic subplot, so often necessary but unfunny in a feature film comedy actually works wonders here in the laughter department.

But the prize of the movie is James Franco (SPIDER-MAN).  He plays the role of the pot dealer not only convincingly but generates the most laughs in the film.  Rosie Perez, one of my favourite actresses is perfect in the cop role but she should be given funnier lines as she has shown her prowess for comedy in films like PERDITO DURANGO.

The filmmakers are also willing to push their film past limits.  The shot off ear and the beating up of pre-teens in the schoolyard segments could create uneasiness with the more conservative audience.  Humour is also derived by playing against normal conventions.  Dale, for example cannot find time to meet his girlfriend’s parents because he has a job.  The invention of the cross-joint is original and funny.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS gets my vote for the funniest film seen so far this year.  Looks like everything the team Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow (last year) touches turns into comedic gold.