Genres

Visitors Review

JoeC345 2012-05-25 01:27:25

"And you're first thought was to come to a school?"

For what it is "30 Minutes or Less" is a good comedy with some morethen amusing parts in it. Seeing that this is by the same director as"Zombieland" makes sense, however this one is not nearly as good.One thing I wanted was for the character's to be a little more definedespecially Jesse Eisenberg's and Aziz Ansuri's characters. It seemedthey just seemed to be going through the motions of what the movierequired.But I digress this is not the type of that requires much analyzationsince it's plot starts with the two most dim witted criminals you haveevery seen and they devise a scheme so convoluted that they should havejust gotten drunk and forgot the whole thing.The charm of this movie resides in the comedic moments that come aboutduring the execution of the scheme. The way that Eisenberg and Ansuriprepare for the robbery is perhaps the best part of the movie (withexception to the final confrontation). The little comments and jokesexchanged during the film we're a hit and miss with some of them beextraordinarily funny.I saw this movie with a couple buddies of mine which is probably theonly way to completely enjoy it. So I would suggest this movie for whatit is, a good fun movie that will make you laugh.

Lisa 2012-05-24 10:42:20

Not funny

I didn't have high expectations that this film would be any sort ofclassic, but I did hope it would at least be an amusing way to spend afew hours. The film didn't even provide laughs. It's very slow andthere are no likable characters that you can root for. To make mattersworse, every other word is some variation of "the f word." It's likethe film was written by a 4 year old who just learned he's not supposedto say that word, and so gleefully shouts it at every opportunity. Veryannoying after about 3 minutes of that. The scenes are dragged out muchlonger than necessary, so the film really lags in spots.I went to a preview screening, and before the film started, someonefrom the theater staff came in and yelled, "Is there a Harold in thetheater? Harold?" When the film started, people in the audience wouldoccasionally shout out "Harold?" That provided the only laughs duringthe film. Seriously.

azoe23 2012-05-23 00:45:50

Wait until it comes out on DVD to rent if you must see this movie

I just got home from seeing this movie. I felt compelled to come onhere, or anywhere else that I can to warn people not to waste theirmoney on it! I was in the theater with about a dozen other people, andI barely heard anyone else laugh, at all. I know I didn't. The moviedoesn't suck you in, I found that it barely kept my attention. Theacting is really pretty bad, and there's nobody that "likeable" thatkeeps you wanting to watch.I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the reviews that I heard werewrong. It's not funny. It was just a simple movie, and didn't have muchcomedic value to it at all. I wish I could get my money back.If you want to laugh, go see The Change Up!

Aletha17 2012-05-22 09:28:07

Great Comedy, Better Than Horrible Bosses

Went to a screening and was really excited because I wanted to see thismovie based on the plot and the actors. And it actually exceeded myexpectations. I've seen most of the summer comedies this season, suchas: Bridesmaids, The Hangover II and Horrible Bosses. I woulddefinitely put this on par with Bridesmaids (rated it a 8) because Ifelt that I was laughing the whole time as was the theater. (I likedHorrible Bosses but thought it was going to be funnier; still rated ita 7)I liked the dialogue between Aziz Ansari & Jesse Eisenberg and theyseemed like the had true chemistry. Michael Pena totally stole the showfor me though! He was awesome. Every time he was in the scene, he hadeveryone laughing! Danny McBride and Nick Swardson were very funny too!Who ever did the casting in this movie got it right.There's a lot of outrageous comedic moments and if you like sillymovies, then definitely go see this! Highly recommended! **8 Stars**

k_m_simpson 2012-05-21 11:26:23

It's Definitely Directed at 17yo Males

It's directed at 17yo males, there's definitely no doubt about that.You almost have to divide this movie into two parts, the first half andthe second half. The first half was so bad, I actually turned to one ofthe other folks I went with and said, "Okay, I will give it 5 minutesmore. If it doesn't improve, I'm walking."Well, it did improve, and a lot. The second half of the movie wasgreat. The plot is fun, and the movie is interesting. The actors werevery good, and Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari really played off eachother well as Nick and Chet. I would have liked to see more of FredWard, but the little bit he had was great.The language and sex were really off-putting, though. I am by no meansa prude, but this was simply put in there to be there. None of itreally contributed anything to the movie. Quite literally, every otherword was F--K and there were several in-depth descriptions of sexualpositions, and quite a bit of nudity and groping in the first half.

DonFishies 2012-05-21 06:25:04

Unpredictable, outrageous and consistently hilarious

Despite multiple viewings, I was never a fan of Zombieland. It was nota horrible film by any measure, and was quite the debut feature forReuben Fleischer, but it still disappointed me every time I tried towatch it. So I went into an advanced screening of his follow-up 30Minutes or Less this week with significantly lower expectations. Ratherthankfully, it surpassed all of them and then some.Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a bit of a slacker, and living a fairlymiserable life. He delivers pizzas for a living, while his roommateChet (Aziz Ansari) has just started teaching in a local elementaryschool. On the last delivery of the night, Nick gets jumped by twowannabe- criminals, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson).They want to have Dwayne's father killed, but cannot come up with themoney in order to get it done right. So they strap a bomb to Nick'schest, and give him ten hours to rob a bank and bring the money back tothem. 30 Minutes or Less is a rare breed of comedy, especially for thissummer. It may sound derivative, and may sound even more like it hastoo much going on at once. But after a chaotically hilarious openingtwenty minutes, the film nestles into its niche, and quickly becomes afairly twisted story that gets more outrageous and dark with everyturn. But instead of slowly falling apart like Horrible Bosses andespecially The Hangover Part II, the film stays consistent throughout,balancing its tone and its laughs exceptionally. Despite being shorterthan Zombieland, Fleischer and screenwriter Michael Diliberti pack inenough material to allow the story to flow briskly, while also neverfinding a moment to slow down. The one-liners come faster and furiouslywith every passing minute, and you may miss a lot from laughing sohard. This is a ludicrously high-concept comedy that could have gonehorrendously wrong (especially given how dangerously close it plays outto a real life event), but it thankfully rarely misses the mark it setsout for itself. Even though the trailer does not suggest it, the film also plays out asa wonderful homage to the buddy films of the 1980s, complete with aninspired soundtrack (Glenn Frey's "The Heat is On" plays over anabsolutely hysterical key scene, instantly bringing memories of BeverlyHills Cop flooding back). Fleischer and Diliberti are about a year toolate to the 80s nostalgia trip, but it does not really matter in thiscase. Instead of remaking or reimagining a 80s brand for the currenttime or using the nostalgia simply for jokes, they use that decade'sinfluence to help craft the film to be even stronger. So strong that italmost feels like it belongs in that era, standing alongside thegreats. It reminded me a lot of Pineapple Express in the way thingsplay out, but 30 Minutes never allows itself to become overly seriousor something it is not. Acting wise, everyone brings their A-game and is absolutely fantastic.Their deadpan and quick-witted responses and chemistry together as agroup is simply astounding. Eisenberg plays his usual oafish loser, butbrings a kinetic and nervous energy he has so far reserved away frommost of his movies. While he is usually calm and relaxed, he lets loosehere, and brings about one of his finest comedic performances to date.Much the same goes for McBride, who is larger than life here, casting ashadow over almost everyone. It has taken me a long time to warm up tohis brand of comedy, but seeing him in action here is simply magical.He gets all of the best lines, and delivers them with the gusto of atrip master of the craft.Ansari, in his first real major film role, holds it together fairlywell, but you can tell he is a bit hot under the collar. It pays off inhis insanely delirious performance, but it is a bit too shaky in somecases. Swardson holds his own surprisingly, and proves that he can bean absolute riot when cut off from Adam Sandler and company. Let's hopethis film helps him take the hint. But special mention has to go toMichael Peña as the would-be assassin, who dusts off his wacky accentfrom Observe and Report, and somehow makes himself even more over-the-top. I hate to say it considering how dementedly hilarious the rest ofthe cast is, but he steals almost every scene he appears in.While my enthusiasm for the film may sound a little overbearing, it isfar from perfect. The characters are a bit too under sketched, andnever really develop outside of the parameters of the story set-up.They are not quite one-dimensional, but outside of their key traits,there is not much else there. This may sound a bit like nitpicking, butfor a film that does so much else right, it seems a little strange thatthe characters are not better developed. We care about all of thesecharacters, and especially want to see Nick make it out of thissituation alive. But I think a bit of extra dialogue here and there toreally make something of these characters could have gone a long way.And while I appreciated the movie references, some of the moreadvertising-like references were a bit excessive (Eisenberg mentioningFacebook was cutesy, but Aziz going on a tirade about Netflix pricingseemed a bit forced). I held small hopes I would enjoy 30 Minutes or Less, and was impressedby how wildly hilarious it is. It is instantly quotable, and packs someof the best comedy we have seen this summer. It may come later, and maysound a bit ridiculous, but do not allow that to make you hesitateseeing it. Letting it pass you by is simply criminal.8/10.

brucev13 2012-05-20 06:44:51

Nope

In 30 minutes or less you will know what direction this movie is going.I really tried very hard to like it. But the little real humour thatwas to be found here was not enough for to convince me to like. Firstof all I can't believe that Ruben Fleischer who directed the brilliantZombieland is also responsible for this title.They story doesn'tflow,the characters are not that bad but far from likable. And theaction is average although the intro scene with the main characterEisenberg racing does promise a lot. Aziz Ansari is almost the only onewho is able to provide some laughs. Only don't expect too much of itbecause the jokes are very obvious.Don't waste your time with this one.

Leon_Chang_2000 2012-05-19 12:46:31

Inconsistent Writing

While the premise of this film leaves much room for hilarity, as shownby the promising trailer, it was unable to capitalize on this due towhat feels like a lackluster effort on the part of the writers. Thereare many tell-tale indications of this, such as in the inconsistency ofthe characters. Palpable tension is generated between characterswithout any warning, and then it is forgotten by the next scene.Another glaring issue was the pacing of the story. If you saw thetrailer, you would think it centered around this bank robbery by twonormal guys. However, this is only one small piece of the movie. Theopening was simultaneously slow and somewhat insufficient, theneverything sped up tremendously, and then the latter half of the filmwas dragged out to fill up the remaining time needed for the movie tobe taken seriously.In all, I would rate this film a 6.5/10 since it was still entertainingand done by clearly talented actors. However, note that this is farfrom their best work, probably because the actors were confused aboutwho their characters were.

tavm 2012-05-19 00:39:28

30 Minutes or Less is a somewhat fun thrill ride of a comedy

Today is my movie theatre-working friend's birthday and so I let himpick the movie. It was this one and both he and I found it to be quitefunny what with many off-beat lines and situations. In this one, JesseEisenberg plays something of a loser reduced to selling pizza that, asthe title implies, has to deliver in that amount of time or it's free.By the way, it's not Domino's it's referring to. Anyway, a couple ofguys-one of whose dad is a former military man-needs a large amount ofmoney in order to kill the parent so he'll get the inheritance. Guesswho becomes a patsy? Aziz Ansari is Eisenberg's friend whose sisterJesse happens to like. I'll stop there and just say that while there'san uneven tone in mixing the comedy and suspense, it's still quiteenjoyably fun in a thrill mode and maintains to not get too much on thelower side of entertainment. So on that note, 30 Minutes or Less isworth seeing.

emprsiris 2012-05-18 07:08:41

sick, that's what this 'movie' is

Believe it or not, this is based on a real event that happened in Erie, PA in 2003. Two criminals wanted to raise enough money to hire a hit-man to kill the father of one of the criminals in the hope to gain the insurance money. They conned a pizza delivery man, Brian Douglas Wells, into their plot to rob a bank. They told him the bomb they were strapping around his neck would be a dummy. However, when the date came & the 2 criminals had strapped the bomb to his neck, it was real. Wells was given a shotgun & a list of tasks. He was told that if he did not complete a task in time that the bomb would go off, but the 2 criminals never intended to let him go and kill him after he completed his tasks. When Wells tried to rob a bank, the police were called. Wells told the police that a bomb was strapped to his neck and that he was ordered to rob a bank or the bomb would go off. Even though the police tried to disarm the bomb, they could not & Wells' time ran out. The bomb exploded, blasting a fist-sized hole in Wells' chest.I can not even comprehend what those last moments were like for Brian Wells, as he was forced at gunpoint to have a live bomb strapped around his neck, but I'm sure it was not comedy. I'm sure it was completely and utterly terrifying. This plot has led to stories for crime dramas, and that is fine, but not the plot for a action comedy. That is just sick.Save yourself money if you want the whole story, you can find it on Wiki. Just look up "Brian Douglas Wells."

Twodude Review 2012-05-18 08:43:28

Good Dude Comedy

In the spirit of funny adult orientated, short summer movies 30 Minutesor Less fits the bill. Without giving away the storyline it is a uniquestoryline for a comedy and it plays well with the humor. The movie doeshave good flow but the actors walk through their lines quite a bit.With this cast I wasn't expecting King's Speech and I didn't get it.The movie cast is filled with TV actors and you can tell, the filmswriting and improvisation feel made this movie really funny. I think agreat deal of credit should go to writer; Michael Diliberti hisplacement was fantastic. This movie is written really well, with a lotof lines that make you say, did he really just say that. To me that iswhat I am looking for out of a comedy. The movie plays on an edgy plainin which Director Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland, went back to a guy hewas familiar with in Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland, Eisenberg plays the"victim", Nick, in the movie and at times does it well at times but hereally seems uncomfortable in the part. Danny McBride, Dwayne, aveteran comedic actor is what he is also and that part is what you getout of him here, almost the same character he plays on Eastbound & Downwithout the baseball. He does deliver some really funny one liners thatcould end up on t-shirts. McBride's sidekick in the film is anotherveteran comedic actor Nick Swardson, Travis, Swardson does play thesimple sidekick real well and delivers some really funny lines as well.My favorite character is the one played by Aziz Ansari, Chet; thestraight faced and quick witted comedian is really funny and helpsEisenberg along the way to get laughs out of his lines too. The moviedoes have two attractive actresses that have spent most of theircareers on TV in Dilshad Vadsaria and Bianca Kajlich. Neither reallybrings anything all that important to the movie but both are underlyingimportant characters. This is not a movie that I would gone out of my way to watch based onthe trailer but it was a movie I was glad that I saw. It certainly doesnot have a warm and fuzzy feeling like a romantic comedy and that isnot what this movie tries to be. It is funny if you like crude lines,not a lot of nudity but there is some, the movie didn't need it to be agood dude flick. Rating: NR at time of Screening has to be an R Release Date: 8/12/2011Running Time: 1 hour 23 minutes Children: Don't even think about itAward Worthy: No not a single piece of it Entertaining: Yes SummerMovie Grade: B- Would I watch It Again: Maybevisit our site at www.twodudereview.com

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-17 21:01:46

Lost Between Comedy and Action Genres

The dumb and sex obsessed Dwayne (Danny McBride) intends to open amassage parlor with his partner Travis (Nick Swardson), but he does nothave money for the investment. He decides to hire a hit-man to kill hisfather, The Major (Fred Ward), who won a large amount of money in thelottery years ago, but the killer demands US$ 100,000.00 for the job.Dwayne and Travis kidnap the pizza delivery boy Nick (Jesse Eisenberg)and they dress Nick with a vest with a timer and several bombs. ThenDwayne tells Nick that he has ten hours to rob US$ 100,000.00 from abank and he would give the code to release the vest. Nick summons hisbest friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) to help him in the heist but the schemedoes not work the way Dwayne has plotted. "30 Minutes of Less" is a feature lost between comedy and actiongenres: it is not funny as a comedy and it is silly as an action film.The good cast is wasted in a poor screenplay and direction. In the endof the credits, Dwayne finally opens the business of his own. My voteis four.Title (Brazil): "30 Minutos ou Menos" ("30 Minutes or Less")

chrismsawin 2012-05-16 23:53:01

Falls short of being as great as it first lets on

Ruben Fleischer's first directorial effort, Zombieland, was met withboth critic acclaim and fan appraisal. There seem to be far fewerpeople who disliked Zombieland compared to those who enjoyed it.Zombieland was quite entertaining though; its cast was incrediblywell-rounded, it offered a new spin on a story we've seen dozens oftimes before, and most of all it offered humor and sharp wit duringwhat is otherwise the end of the world; a time when you least expectedit. Zombieland was something special. However, 30 Minutes or Less seemslike a completely different type of comedy. The trailers lead you tobelieve it could go either way; one way being extremely hilarious andthe other ending with you kicking yourself because you didn't just waitto rent it. Even after seeing the movie, 30 Minutes or Less stillmanages to fall somewhere in the middle of that generalization.30 Minutes or Less starts off pretty strong. The dialogue is reallyfunny, you can feel the chemistry between the actors, and the storylineis progressing at a steady pace. It seems like it's on track to be thisfantastically amusing R-rated comedy that's one of the funniest filmsof the year, but it begins to lose steam after the bank robbery. It'slike the humor begins to lose its wit and becomes more about bickeringbetween the duos Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) and Chet (Aziz Ansari) andDwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson). By the end of themovie, you'll wonder how a pizza deliveryman who does nothing but smokepot, drink, play video games, and watch action movies who's neveramounted to anything his entire life can rob a bank, get away with it,and be as smart as he is about the entire situation. Is it years ofuntapped potential finally bubbling to the surface or a giant plothole? You'll have to be the judge of that.There seems to be a plethora of plot devices added in the second halfof the movie that hurts it overall. A pen gun, a hired gun getting hisown side story, a romance, the potential tan salon Dwayne and Traviswon't stop talking about, police chases, the leverage changing handsseveral times, and flamethrowers all entering the picture, it allbecomes too much to process. Trying to juggle that many scenes onlyresults in a movie like this stumbling in its attempted execution.The cast is 30 Minutes or Less finest asset. The writing certainly hasits moments, but the actors are what make the movie as entertaining asit is. Jesse Eisenberg portrays that same sharp wit you've come toexpect from the actor. Meanwhile Danny McBride gives one of his bestperformances. McBride tends to be utilized so well as a supportingcharacter. All of his qualities seem to shine brightest when he's notthe main character. It's one of the reasons Your Highness didn't workout. Nick Swardson plays up the bomb expert/second fiddle to Dwaynerole incredibly well. He's more intelligent than he lets on and thescene where he's unleashing his kicks in front of a tied up and bombstraddled Nick is probably his funniest in the movie. Last but notleast, there's Michael Peña who's the one character in the movie whocan get laughs just by the way he talks alone. His "pimp" scene in themirror is quite amusing. You may have noticed I left out Aziz Ansariand that's mostly because it felt like he wasn't very funny at all. Hehad a few one-liners that are snicker-worthy, but seemed to ruin it byrunning it into the ground and just overdoing it in general.The other disheartening thing about 30 Minutes or Less is the way itends. It doesn't feel like a conclusion since everything just kind ofstops. The movie ends with a laugh and has a pretty ridiculous sceneafter the credits, but it leaves so many unanswered questions. It wasprobably left open for a possible sequel, which would probably justcompletely ruin what limited appeal this comedy has.30 Minutes or Less is fast paced, action packed, and even downrighthilarious at times. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep up the momentum itfirst starts off with. The humor becomes stale, the actors tend to getcaught up in being silly rather than moving the story along, and actiontakes a front seat in the second half while the comedy takes a hit, but30 Minutes or Less is still fairly amusing and at least worth a rentalin the long run.

jmson23 2012-05-16 16:54:31

Good cast and premise without the writers to handle it

The film's plot is just how it is presented, so I will just focus onwhere the film fell short despite all the ingredients for success.I saw the trailer for this and was hoping for a good, not great, summercomedy. The quality of writing in this genre can be difficult topredict based on trailers because we see two minutes of footage tryingto bring us to the theater, which often leaves the best jokes spoiledbefore the first minute. The main reason I chose to watch 30 Minutes orLess was because of Jesse Eisenburg. Coming off of his solidperformance in The Social Network and his previous roles in comedy,surely he is in a position to wait for a good script.There is a good cast here of actors who have had supporting roles orjust a brief scene in big comedies over the past few years (Aziz Ansariand Nick Swardson in particular), who outside the comedy circuit aren'trecognizable names yet. Danny McBride is getting perfect at playingthis kind of character (the drug dealer in Observe and Report comes tomind) who projects the pure alpha male ego and aggression of someone ofauthority - all while misusing every quote, saying and fact consideredto be common knowledge.I just erased a long analysis of my gripes, which aren't necessary toexplain in such detail. The script was just flawed for comedy in myeyes and no one could save it. Mainly, the movie went back and forthbetween crazy but theoretically possible and not trying at all to seembelievable. The characters are sometimes exaggerated kinds of peoplethat exist and those who cannot, and with whom no one could relate to.Good comedies require more than lots of good jokes and actors. It allmust come together in some way that works on the level presented,because context is what humor plays off. The best jokes of the filmcould be put essentially anywhere in any film and work the same.

MLDinTN 2012-05-13 21:54:42

it's super easy to rob a bank....

according to this movie. There are these 2 dumb guys, Dwayne andChavis, whom decide they need 100 grand to hire a guy to kill Dwayne'sdad. So, they come up with a brilliant idea of kidnapping a guy, put abomb on him, and get him to rob a bank to get the money.So, they decide the pizza delivery guy, Nick, is the perfect choice.Nick gets his friend, Chet, involved and they end up robbing the banklike there's nothing to getting caught. Then of course there's all thisdistrust and trying to get the money and the code to disable the bomb.Just a bunch of silliness.FINAL VERDICT: It's got some humorous parts and has a very shortrunning time. Worth catching on cable.

capone666 2012-05-13 08:07:47

The Vidiot Reviews...

30 Minutes or LessThe reason pizza places offer 30 minutes or less delivery service isbecause after 31 minutes the cheese turns back into plastic.Fortunately, the delivery guy in this comedy is too fast forcongealing.When two deadbeats, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson),decide to kill Dwayne's rich father, they must first raise enoughcapital for a hit man.Eventually, they settle on kidnapping a pizza delivery driver, Nick(Jesse Eisenberg), strapping a bomb to his chest, and forcing him torob a bank for them.With only 10-hours until detonation, Nick enlists his friend (AzizAnsari) to assist in the robbery, with disastrous results.While the plot is straightforward, 30 Minutes or Less has enough twistsand mediocre comedic performances to warrant a 7% gratuity. Nonetheless, how is a pizza delivery driver supposed to rob a bank whenthey are only allowed to carry less than $20 cash? (Yellow Light)

ddaavviidd31 2012-05-12 13:38:36

I found this VERY funny!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I loaded this into my Blu Ray player,BUT I was pleasantly surprised.I thought it would be just another American trash movie but was wrong.I don't do contrived humour and it takes a lot to make me laugh butthis just make me chuckle! It's funny, great acting with spot on comedytiming.Totally ridiculous story but entertaining.The only thing that annoys me with Blu Ray is you have to turn thesound right up to hear the dialogue and then when an action sceneoccurs it is way too loud. I wish they realised some of us can't turnup the volume as are attached to others' houses!Great to watch if you want something light.

winterslacker 2012-05-11 21:52:54

Not What I Expected

The trailer preview seemed much better than the movie itself. I wasrather disappointed. It started off really slow until towards themiddle, when things started to pick up. The different camera angles andshots were amazing during the driving scenes; they fit perfectly. Eventhough I like most of the cast, the casting was still poorly puttogether for this movie. It was almost mediocre acting. The ending wasgreat, with some last minute laughs, and fun for the imagination. Wellaccomplished, excluding loose ends, makes this movie better than itwould seem. Some scenes I felt were unnecessary, and the entire movieis filled with sex references and poor language. It made me realize howthis movie pegged the common language, actions, as well as mannerisms,perfectly for this day and age. It's sad really.

thekarmicnomad 2012-05-10 16:55:59

Expected big - got fun-size - which isn't much fun.

I have loved all the Jesse Eisenberg films I have seen so far, so Inaively (and mistakenly) expected to like everything he is in. This isa little unfair on this movie as I had my expectations set quite high.The plot is sound enough, the script and performance are all more thanadequate. But the overall outcome feels very flat.Everything is bite-sized. The main bank scene is funny but over in aflash. The tension amongst the characters is overplayed, the romancestory feels like a mere crush. The huge voids in the film are clumsilyfilled in with fingering references, prostitute jokes and Danny Mcbrideacting childish.I don't get Danny Mcbride at all! But if you are a fan of his work thenadd a couple of stars to this review as for me he was the largest thornin the side of this movie.I found the movie humorous, had a few chuckles but felt a bit cheated.

Movie_Muse_Reviews 2012-05-10 06:20:17

Super quick runtime accounts for laughs, but not great storytelling

Director Ruben Fleischer should call the "making of" documentary ofthis film "86 Minutes or Less." The filmmaker who landed squarely onthe Hollywood directing hot list with 2009's rollicking sleeper hit"Zombieland" has crammed the action and laughs into another unusuallyshort runtime. Distinct advantages exist to the "all business" attitudetoward filmmaking, but "30 Minutes or Less" reveals the criticality ofgood writing in making something like this work. The narrative of"Zombieland" is much tighter, but "30 Minutes or Less" still packs thelaughs into a sufficient summer action comedy."Zombieland" star Jesse Eisenberg helps out Fleischer again as Nick, asimilar loser in the form of a pizza delivery guy, only Nick is muchcruder and gutsier. The neurotic hopeless romantic that theOscar-nominated actor perfected prior to said Oscar nod only rears itshead in the freak-out moments resulting from having a bomb strapped tohis chest by a pair of monkey-masked amateur criminals who've given himnine hours to rob a bank.Although we know that synopsis coming in, the film spends at least 20minutes attempting to properly set it up. We meet Nick, adisappointment by all accounts, and his longtime friend Chet (AzizAnsari), a school teacher. Somehow they provoke each other to the pointwhere Nick reveals he once slept with Chet's twin sister Kate (DilshadVadsaria) in high school (that he's still secretly in love with) andChet lashes back with the secret that he pushed the first domino inwhat resulted in Nick's parents' divorce. Needless to say, the two endup on bad terms before Nick comes to him the next day desperate for hishelp in solving his time- sensitive predicament.Meanwhile, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson) get anunusual amount of back story for your typical dumb criminals. The twogood-for-nothings decide to take action when Dwayne's lottery-winningex-marine father provokes them by calling them out on their lack oflife direction. Dwayne convinces Travis, a weapons and explosivesexpert, to help him plot a way to kill his dad and get his inheritanceso they can open up a tanning salon that will front for a prostitutionring. They decide to hire a hit-man (Michael Peña) whom they must pay$100,000 and ultimately determine the smartest way to do that is toforce someone to rob a bank for them. These scenes give thosecharacters too much needless motivation, but the extra screen timeprovides McBride and Swardson lots more opportunities to make us laugh.For a film that should feel suspenseful if for nothing else but theimplications of the title "30 Minutes or Less," this juggling ofsubplots dampens the pace. Humor does flow constantly throughout,however, and Eisenberg's desperation to make this all seem very realand frightening in tandem with Ansari's gift for not being tooself-serious work in the film's favor. If only the camera didn't dartaway from them as often as it does and kill whatever momentum theybuilt.Broken down into categories, "30 Minutes or Less" gets good marks forcomedy, but sub-par marks for action because the writing doesn't fuelthe action like it should. Fleischer has not lost any touch in what'salways a challenging sophomore effort; he simply doesn't get as good ofstuff to work with this time around. Fortunately, the four maintalented comedians offer up enough to make this one a worthwhile 86minutes or so.~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com