Release Date – 8/12/2011
Nick is a pizza delivery boy who is barely getting by in life. His best friend Chet is a grade school teacher. Their worlds are totally rocked when Nick is kidnapped by two criminals, Dwayne & Travis, and forced to rob a bank. A bomb is strapped to Nick’s chest that will explode if tampered with. With a countdown timer started at 10 hours, Nick has to convince Chet to help him go through with the robbery in order to save his life. Meanwhile, Dwayne is hatching a scheme of his own. Get $100,000 from the bank robbery, hire a hitman, kill his father and take his sweet inheritance. It’s a pretty funny movie. Lots of great lines from three of the four leads. And a short running time so you weren’t bored with a very simple premise.
Jesse Eisenberg would probably be considered the top lead in the film. He plays Nick, the dude with the bomb strapped to his chest. Something about him in this movie annoyed me. He was his usual character – fast talking, kind of douchey. But unlike his great performance in The Social Network, I kind of got sick of him quick in this movie. But that’s OK because he’s saved by three really funny performances by the other leads. Aziz Ansari plays his best friend, Chet. They constantly argue and it makes for some of the funnier moments in the film. Danny McBride and Nick Swardson play the criminals. They also argue constantly and say some really ridiculous stuff. They just want some money so they can open a tanning salon, which disguises their whore house. Michael Pena also has a small part but he cracked me up in his limited scenes. Ever since Observe & Report, I think Pena is just hilarious. To sum it up, this movie is like two buddy films combined into one. Good guy buddies and bad guy buddies. While the action isn’t great, the comedy is pretty strong through most of the movie. It’s not on the level of Pineapple Express where both were done excellently. But like I already said, the short running time really helps.
Director Ruben Fleischer really popped onto the scene with his first feature film, Zombieland. I didn’t think I would like another zom-com after Shaun of the Dead creator Edgar Wright did it so brilliantly. But Zombieland really surprised me and was one of my favorite comedies of that year. While 30 Minutes or Less didn’t come close to blowing me away like that one did, it was still really enjoyable. I’d love to see a gag reel or outtakes because I’m sure a few of the one liners were improv-style. That approach can miss big time, Grown Ups, or hit big time, Anchorman. Luckily this one was more leaning towards the Anchorman style where the laughs are better. 30 Minutes or Less may have fallen a little short when comparing it to Fleischer’s debut, but I would still recommend it. Especially if you like any of the 4 leads involved. Not quite MADE level, but still a funny flick. Maybe a cult hit or guilty pleasure status would be a better way to describe it. A slacker comedy that I’m sure all slackers will enjoy.
IMDB – N/A
Rotten Tomatoes – 44%
Movie Wiseguys – 7.5/10