Pineapple Express
Short description
Pineapple Express centres on Dale Denton, a court process server who regularly buys marijuana from his dealer, Saul Silver. Saul introduces him to a rare and especially potent strain called Pineapple Express. Shortly after smoking it, Dale witnesses a murder carried out by a corrupt police officer and a local drug lord, and in his panic he leaves evidence at the scene that points straight back to him and Saul. With hitmen on their trail, the two men go on the run together, unsure whether their mounting fear is drug-fuelled paranoia or entirely justified.
David Gordon Green directed the film, the second of the fourteen features he has made in chronological order, following Undertow and preceding Your Highness. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the screenplay, and Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson produced. Rogen stars as Dale alongside James Franco as Saul, with Gary Cole, Danny McBride, Rosie Perez and Kevin Corrigan in supporting roles.
Made for a budget of 27 million US dollars, the film took 102 million US dollars worldwide, a strong return. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from around 372,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.6 from over 4,000 votes, showing a broad and generally favourable audience response. A critics' rating of 6.7 from 199 reviews places critical opinion close to the audience scores, indicating reasonably consistent reception across both groups.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, James Franco was cast as Dale, and Seth Rogen as Saul. However, they ultimately had to switch roles, as Franco's portrayal of Saul looked funnier.
- The word “fuck” and its derivatives are used 180 times in the film.
- Saul’s grandmother (played by James Franco) wasn't originally in the script. James himself suggested that the drug dealer Saul have a grandmother.
- In a scene in the forest where Sol crashes his head into a tree, James Franco missed the pillow specifically nailed to the trunk, and as a result, he needed three stitches.
- During the fight scene between James Franco's character and Rosie Perez's heroine, the actors largely improvised. Franco was very afraid of hurting his partner and constantly asked her during the fight if he could now do this or that. In the end, Perez did get a bruise, but she didn't tell Franco anything, sparing his feelings.
- When James Franco's character hit Danny McBride on the head with a hookah, as required by the script, it was assumed that it would be a decorative and easily breakable hookah. However, it contained water, and McBride received a minor injury.
- Rosie Perez convinced David Gordon Green that her character would be more mysterious and believable with significantly fewer lines.
- Bryan Cranston auditioned for the role of Ted Jones (eventually played by Gary Cole), but screenwriter and producer Judd Apatow vetoed his candidacy, finding him not 'vicious' or 'ruthless' enough to convincingly play a drug dealer. Cranston would later gain fame for his role as a math teacher turned methamphetamine salesman in the series 'Breaking Bad' (2008-2013).
- Before filming began, Seth Rogen had to practice yoga to increase his body flexibility.
- A poster for the 1932 film "Scarface" hangs in the room of James Franco's character.
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