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Four out of Five stars
Running time: 111 mins

Hugely enjoyable comedy-thriller with strong comic performances, a frequently hilarious script and superb direction by David Gordon Green.

What's it all about?
Seth Rogen stars as Dale Denton, a 25-year-old process server who spends his days getting stoned on the job and hanging out with his 18-year-old girlfriend, Angie (Amber Heard). When Dale witnesses a murder committed by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and a drug kingpin (Gary Cole), he hides out with his dealer, Saul (James Franco), until they realise that the killers will be able to trace them because Dale left a joint of ultra-exclusive Pineapple Express weed at the scene.

In desperation, the hapless duo visit Saul's dealer, Red (Danny McBride) to see if he can help, but that only makes Red a target too. And when Dale realises that Angie might be in danger, he has to use his dreaded first meeting with her parents (Ed Begley Jr and Nora Dunn) to try and persuade them to go into hiding.

The Good
A stoner comedy-thriller might seem like an unusual direction for arthouse darling David Gordon Green (George Washington) but he proves an inspired choice, maintaining a solid pace, displaying great comic timing and even putting his own directorial stamp on the film with a delightful Dale-and-Saul-hiding-out-in-the-woods montage. In addition, the script (by Superbad writers Rogen and Evan Goldberg) is frequently hilarious, with several terrific one-liners and at least one moment that is guaranteed to have you howling with laughter.

Rogen and Franco make a terrific comic duo and there's genuine chemistry between them – their "bromance" is entirely believable. There's also strong comic support from McBride and it's a treat to see Perez back on screen again.

The Great
The film is also shot through with an ‘80s action movie vibe (heightened by an ‘80s score and some excessive violence) that works brilliantly, even if it is a little weird.

Worth seeing?
Pineapple Express is a highly entertaining, offbeat comedy-thriller that has Future Cult Movie written all over it. Recommended.