30 Minutes or Less is a fast-paced double buddy action comedy involving a bomb vest, bank robbery and combination tanning salon/prostitution ring. Clocking in a run time of only 83 minutes, it’s a quick joyride of a movie but it’s actually not as funny as you think. Starring comedians Danny McBride, Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari alongside the talented Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Peña and directed by the guy who brought us Zombieland, Ruben Fleischer, you’d think the audience would be rolling around on the floor laughing nonstop through the on screen escapades but instead it was just “ok” with laughs scattered around. The Comic-Con panel was actually a lot funnier than the entire movie.
Jesse Eisenberg is Nick, a pizza delivery boy who drives a beat-up mustang. The movie explodes with him speeding through stop signs and drifting in order to make his 30 minute deadline. Believe it or not, Jesse is actually a really good driver and does all his own stunts and moves. On his last delivery of the night, he’s jumped by two monkeys, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson). Dwayne is the spoiled brat of The Major (Fred Ward) who after retiring from the Marines, struck it big by winning 10 million dollars from the Michigan Lottery. Dwayne is the kind of guy who sleeps in late, not because he’s lazy, but because he has “too many big dreams”. He’s just waiting for his inheritance to start a tanning salon that doubles as a prostitution ring. Brilliant, right? Dwayne and Travis strap a bomb onto Nick and the movie switches gears. Now Nick must rob a bank for $100 grand or explode.
Could you imagine being robbed by these guys?
The premise is funny, the characters are great and the movie is upbeat but for some reason, it just doesn’t “deliver”. Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari are two of my favorite contemporary comedians and they’re hilarious in the film but only for bits and pieces. This is the kind of movie where you get blasts of laughter and then silence until the next big joke. Aziz has his hilarious trail off moments where he just keeps talking and talking and it keeps getting funnier and funnier. During the Comic-Con panel, they noted that there was a lot of improv in the movie. I can’t wait for the DVD to see all of the alternative takes and moments that didn’t make the final cut. Nick Swardson’s character, Travis, had some hysterical racist jokes that were told so dry (but spot on for the character) that many audience members missed them. The comedic surprise of the movie came from Michal Pena who is a newcomer to comedy (this is his 2nd feature after Observe and Report) but gave an unexpected performance as the satanic hispanic.
Michael Peña almost steals the show as the satanic hispanic
Aziz played Chet, Nick’s friend who assists him as Cruz in the bank robbery. Together, they’re the first buddy couple in 30 Minutes or Less and they work great together. They had not met before this film but hit it off right away and had great chemistry on screen. They have a love hate relationship as they keep messing up each other’s lives. Not to mention that Nick is in love with Chet’s twin sister, the ridiculously hot Dilshad Vadsaria. Dwayne and Travis make up the other buddy couple as the misguided criminals who try to think as millionaires. Travis is the actual brains of the operation (even though he’s not smart at all) but acts as the lackey to Dwayne who just thinks for himself. It’s almost like watching Dumb & Dumber with these two. Danny McBride and Nick Swardson also never met before the shooting of this movie but I think we’re going to see more from them together in the future.
I wouldn't trust Nick Swardson with a real flamethrower but hey, that's just me
The action was actually better than the comedy in this one as the car chases were really well done. They decided to use real cars and stunt drivers rather than computer generated effects and I think it payed off for them. I just wish the comedy was up to that level as I expected more from this group. 30 Minutes or Less is rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity and some violence. It’s not vulgar and there’s not much cursing but there is violence, guns and a flamethrower, yes a real flamethrower. There is also some nudity from a strip club visit but stay after the credits for a local ad from http://www.majortan.com/
. The movie isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as it could have been. “They blew it.” “And that’s what she said.”
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Let me take you to Rio, Rio. Fly over the ocean like an eagle, eagle. Then we can chill in my gazebo, gazebo. Oooooooh. I really liked this movie…I was giggling and smiling all the way through. It’s a cute kids movie infused with pop music. While it doesn’t have the same heart and emotional stories as competing studio, Pixar, 20th Century Fox Animation can still push out decent films that get the job done. They recruited a great voice cast that really put the movie over the top. Without the trio of will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and Tracy Morgan, I don’t think there would have been half as many laughs. Kids and adults alike are going to enjoy Rio while tapping their feet along in theaters.
Facebook. Everyone knows about it and almost everybody is on it. To not be a part of it is just as conscious a decision as not to drink water, as it has become just as much a part of society as eating and sleeping. Despite its widespread popularity, however, for most, little is known about its origins, its founders, and how it has become such an institution in our everyday life. Cue Columbia Pictures to bring you The Social Network, the tale of how this social networking phenom implanted itself into the homes of millions of Americans nationwide.
Holy Rollers is a journey down the rabbit hole for one good Jewish kid, Sam Gold, turned bad. It’s the true story of Hasidic Jews from Brooklyn who get involved in a small drug smuggling ring. The movie premiered at Sundance this year and is getting a limited release to many major cities. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, the story begins as any other, with a kid studying to be a rabbi and partnered up with a lovely lady of the community to make a family. What? That’s not how every story begins? What’s interesting about this movie is that you’re confronted with two totally different worlds which most people are not familiar with. One is the fast paced high rolling drug world and the other is the slow paced traditional life of Hasidic Jews. The audience gets exposed to these two worlds together when they definitely don’t belong together even though one of the characters does point out, “you know, Jews have been smuggling for thousands of years.”
I’ve said this before but I love indie films and I love exposing smaller films to people even more…Solitary Man is a perfect example of this. As every week goes by, this movie is being added to more and more theaters in various cities…if you can find it, check it out, you won’t be disappointed. Typically a movie focuses on important events of the character’s lives. This movie, however, takes an interesting risk and tells the story of what happens after. To be more specific, Solitary Man is the aftermath of having a wild midlife crisis.
