James Franco, "Pineapple Express"
I was speaking to Judd Apatow an hour ago with four or five other web guys after the Walk Hard presentation at Sony, and one of them told Apatow he'd seen Pineapple Express (Sony, 8.8.08) , the David Gordon Green-directed comedy about a stoner (Seth Rogen) and his dealer (James Franco) forced to go on the run from the police after they see a cop shoot a guy for the wrong reasons. And the big revelation, he said, is Franco's hilarious performance.
Playing a character named "Saul" who, Apatow said, is somewhat like Brad Pitt's "Floyd" in True Romance, Franco is incredibly funny in the film. The web guy seemed to think It'll put him right back on the map, probably the best thing he's ever done, etc. Or certainly the best thing since the James Dean film six years ago. One of those surprise performances from a guy you thought you knew that make you go "holy shit!"
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 11, 2007 at 3:18 PM
comment #1
renorambler
says ...
Isn't this True Romance?...not trying to quibble.
Posted by renorambler
at October 11, 2007 4:13 PM
comment #2
The Hoyk
says ...
So "Chato" is onto something, you say?
Posted by The Hoyk
at October 11, 2007 4:13 PM
comment #3
bmcintire
says ...
Wow. I had completely forgotten Gandolfini was in that.
Posted by bmcintire
at October 11, 2007 4:16 PM
comment #4
Wyatt Donnelly
says ...
True Confession???? WTF IS TRUE CONFESSION WELLS, YOU INCREDIBLE PONCE
Posted by Wyatt Donnelly
at October 11, 2007 4:36 PM
comment #5
The Winchester
says ...
I love later on, when the assassins come to the apartment, and Pitt offers them a hit from his honey bear bong, they rack a shotgun, and he's non plussed and continues giving them directions.
I've heard great things about Pineapple Express, specifically about Franco in it. And that it has a surprising amount of violence. I (like most)still marvel that they got David Gordon Green to make this.
Posted by The Winchester
at October 11, 2007 5:24 PM
comment #6
MickTravis
says ...
Wells, you keep mentioning James Franco and saying nothing about "Freaks & Geeks."
Franco deserves an indulgence for doing what he did in that.
"James Dean" is a comparative footnote.
Can I join the constant choir that pipes up all the time saying, "Wells, see Freaks & Geeks."
You may not want to see it. I did not want to see it. I was forced to see it. I am eternally grateful to the woman who forced me to see it. It is extremely good and he is extremely good in it.
Netflix the first disc, watch one episode and try to not get sucked into the rest.
Posted by MickTravis
at October 11, 2007 6:31 PM
comment #7
EDouglas
says ...
Falco has given decent performances since playing James Dean... he wasn't bad in American Crime and I thought he did a good job in... brace yourself, jeffmcm... Flyboys!!!
Posted by EDouglas
at October 11, 2007 6:52 PM
comment #8
jeffmcm
says ...
He was less bad than some of the other actors in Flyboys but that's it.
Posted by jeffmcm
at October 11, 2007 7:07 PM
comment #9
GlassFamily
says ...
God, weird to hear Gandolfini not doing the Tony Soprano voice. Just really... foreign.
And, Wells, this article almost entirely reiterates what people were saying yesterday about Franco (i.e being great/hilarious in Pineapple, will put him back on the map, etc.). Maybe you should, you know, check out the comments occasionally on your little website here.
Posted by GlassFamily
at October 11, 2007 7:40 PM
comment #10
christian
says ...
Jeff has a habit of posting about things earlier discussed without him acknowledging the discussions. He's busy I know but so are we...
Posted by christian
at October 11, 2007 7:49 PM
comment #11
Nick J
says ...
Everybody was saying the same thing to me about Freaks and Geeks. Finally I netflixed the first disc. It was terrible. The writing was obvious and clumsy. The acting was weak. Linda Cardellini, however, was cute as hell.
Posted by Nick J
at October 11, 2007 7:57 PM
comment #12
Kristopher Tapley
says ...
The day a "revelation" comes out of a David Gordon Green film........
Posted by Kristopher Tapley
at October 11, 2007 11:16 PM
comment #13
Alan Cerny
says ...
I can bash SPIDER-MAN 3 with the best of them, but James Franco did a terrific job. Someone didn't tell him he was in a lousy movie, I guess.
Posted by Alan Cerny
at October 12, 2007 6:36 AM
comment #14
Jesse Perry
says ...
I have a feeling Nick J and I would not get along.
Posted by Jesse Perry
at October 12, 2007 8:50 AM
comment #15
Craig Kennedy
says ...
I think I could hang with Nick just because he's absolutely right about Linda Cardellini.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at October 12, 2007 9:43 AM
comment #16
AndrewMallet
says ...
How did David Gordon Green ever get another job after 3 HORRIBLE films? What a hack.
Posted by AndrewMallet
at October 12, 2007 12:08 PM
comment #17
christian
says ...
GEORGE WASHINGTON is some kind of lovely film. He's no hack.
Posted by christian
at October 12, 2007 12:13 PM
comment #18
BurmaShave
says ...
Yeah Andrew, no offense, but that's the dumbest thing I've read on here in a long time.
What I find most interesting about all of this is how Apatow is getting such reputable directors for his stable.
Posted by BurmaShave
at October 12, 2007 7:01 PM
comment #19
AndrewMallet
says ...
BurmaShave, you know nothing. No offense, but you should not speak unless spoken to. Every comment you post is laughable. Your taste is that of an illegal immigrant with a long history of sexual violence against both men and women.
Posted by AndrewMallet
at October 13, 2007 11:00 AM