30 MINUTES OR LESS DVD (2011)
SYNOPSIS: Nick is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds. The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet. As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers and their own tumultuous relationship.
MOVIE REVIEW:
What can you get with $100,000 nowadays? Definitely not a luxury car let alone a house. But hey you can get yourself a killer from Detriot for that.
The premise of “30 Minutes Or Less” revolves around this petite sum of money with a pizza boy, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg from “The Social Network”) being forced by two slackers, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson) to rob a bank so that the duo can hire an assassin to kill Dwayne’s rich dad. Enlisting his best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari) and with a bomb strapped to his body, Nick must find a way to rid himself out of this sticky situation before his time run out.
This follow-up to Director Ruben Fleischer’s well-received “Zombieland” is a fast-paced comedy that works in the same style of “Pineapple Express” though “30 Minutes Or Less” only clocks in at an efficient 83 minutes. The movie never pretends to be sharp or witty and it’s best that audience watch it with a low-brow comedy in mind. There’s absolutely no payoffs of any kind so don’t go around poking for logical explanations.
With the exception of a play-for-laughs car chase, a teddy bear being blown up (don’t ask why) and a finale that has a flamethrower thrown in, the action quotient is lower than the comedy especially for a premise that involves a ticking bomb. However, credit has to go to Fleischer and his editor for their acute sense of comic timing and the ability to keep things compelling instead of letting his cast goes loose with their rattling.
With an ensemble cast including Aziz Ansari (Funny People), the funny Indian with a high-pitched voice, Aziz is an absolute blast playing Chet. His amount of nervous energy is perfect for playing off Eisenberg’s fidgety character and the duo complements each other with many amusing crude exchanges and gags. Take for instance, the bungling bank heist and the conversation that turns the best friends into ex-best friends. Though not a personal favourite comedian of mine, Danny McBride (Your Highness) is hilarious pairing with Nick Swardson (Just Go With It), the two goofballs who dreamt of opening a tanning salon/whorehouse. Michael Pena who normally appears as a goody-two-shoe turns up in a role that will surprise you.
It’s a pity “30 Minutes Or Less” didn’t receive much love in the domestic box-office and even skipped the local theatrical release. Comparing this to many other raunchy comedies out there, this buddy caper stands out as one of the best comedies of 2011. To conclude, it’s a deserving 83 minutes or less of your precious time.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are 10 amusing Deleted Scenes and 6 minutes of Outtakes consisting mainly the cast ad-libbing and improvising.
The cast and crew talks about the pleasure on working in this movie in the 14 minutes feature, Blowing Up with the Cast & Crew of 30 Minutes or Less.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The DVD transfer is clear and detailed. Explosions, gunshots, hip hop music and dialogue flows seamlessly out of the audio track making it an enjoyable experience.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
