Amazon Holiday

Friday, August 12, 2011

30 Minutes or Less


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pizza delivery boy (Jesse Eisenberg) wakes up strapped to a bomb, with a pair of small time criminals (Danny McBride & Nick Swardson) demanding that he rob a bank for $100,000 if he wants to get out of exploding.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Dilshad Vadsaria, Michael Pena, Bianca Kajlich, Fred Ward

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. It's incredibly dumb, but not dumb enough to be awesome.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest clips are in the trailer, and to add insult to injury, even those are slightly funnier when taken out of the context of the film.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No emotions of any kind will be had.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Funniest panel at Comic Con. If you weren't one of the thousand people at that panel, you may never discover how truly hilarious the actors in this film actually are. Because it's not particularly clear from watching this film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Aziz Ansari is such a bad actor that he makes Jesse Eisenberg seem like he's over-acting just for hitting his emotions at appropriate levels. And Michael Pena, whose resume includes just about everything serious that's ever been made, turns out to be something of a comic genius... After this performance, I have a feeling that he will get a speedy welcome into the club.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The opening car scene is pretty awesome... and then you never notice the directing again.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So after getting a bomb strapped to you, you go to your best friend who is a school teacher, and you say "Rob a bank with me," at which point he deserts his classroom full of children and agrees to rob a bank with you. Think about that... Yeah, there's no world in which it happens that way. Here's a possible alternative. You rob a bank by yourself, while your best friend calls the cops to explain why you're robbing the bank, and then the cops, using their years of professional knowledge and expertise, devise a strategy to get you out of that bomb. And don't get me started on the dialogue.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: 30 Minutes or Less Trailer

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5 comments:

ArtsBeatLA said...

Hmmnnn, I think you are being a little harsh. Yes, most of the funny bits are in the trailer (which, for once made me *want* to see the movie rather than telling me the whole story and saving me the bother) but there are other funny bits as well.

Funny and fairly original (i.e. not a remake, a sequel nor a comic book).

I liked it a lot.

Monique said...

Yes, I probably was a little too harsh on it, but the trailer was so good, that I was disappointed.

It's certainly not as bad as I make it sound, and you have a good point about the originality of the material, but it's missing a certain amount of charm.

Dan O. said...

This is no comedy classic, but it delivers plenty of laughs, thanks to a witty script and no less than five very hilarious performances. Good Review!

ArtsBeatLA said...

This time I agree with Dan O. It's one of the more fresh comedies to come around for a while.

I especially loved the way the teens tried to con our hero, and he was very smooth with the counter-con. One of many delights therein.

Monique said...

Not sure I'm remember a scene where "teens" tried to con the hero? Can you remind me? (You know you see too many movies when you can't remember scenes from a film you saw less than 2 weeks ago!)