30 Minutes or Less Film Review

By Samir Mathur
Contributing writer
Twitter | Tumblr



30 Minutes or Less (Rated R) opens tomorrow in theaters nationwide. Click here for Orlando-area showtimes.

Director Ruben Fleischer made a name for himself with 2009's 'Zombieland', a well-plotted action movie with a good sense of humour and some nice stylistic flourishes. So all eyes are on his follow up, '30 Minutes Or Less', which reunites Fleischer with Jesse Eisenberg, who lest we forget, is now an Oscar nominee. Add to the mix Aziz Ansari (from America's best sitcom), Danny McBride, and Nick Swardson, and it's clear that this is going to be a funny, funny film. Sure enough, it IS indeed very funny. Eisenberg and Ansari have a great chemistry as the two regular schlubs who are forced to rob a bank by two thugs played by McBride and Swardson, for reasons that aren't really worth getting into. Throw in a violent pimp - is there any other kind? - and a scheming stripper, and you've got lots of elements at play.

As is often the case after a successful first film, Fleischer is allowed to do MORE - and that's a good and a bad thing. As you'd expect, the action scenes are very high-energy, with some great car chases and driving set-pieces. The scene at the bank is one of the funniest things I've seen all summer. And it's nice to see Nick Swardson being really funny without being gross - in this, he's just endearingly dumb, and that works for me way better than he was in, say, Blades of Glory as a weird creep.

What is missing, though, is some heart. 'Zombieland' had some mystery, with characters keeping plenty of secrets and part of its charm was watching them learn about each other. Here, we know everyone's motives and feelings at all times, and there isn't anything up anyone's sleeve. That works in terms of advancing story, but means that there's not much beyond the laughs. There's a sub-plot involving a love interest for Eisenberg's character that didn't seem necessary at all, too.

In a summer of R-rated comedies, this isn't the worst, but it's far from the best too. I know: that's a wishy-washy thing to say, and I've already established that it's really funny. Shouldn't that be enough? Probably - but I expected more. Still: go and see it; Aziz is the best.



7-3-11-facebook7-3-11-twitter7-3-11-RSS