30 Minutes or Less (2011) Movie Review

Two fledgling criminals kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else…

Good Plot, Lousy Writing

This could have been a fun movie…there is a plot, the casting is good…but once again, we have a prime case of screen writers who really aren’t. It’s as if, in half the movies these days, and this is a perfect example of one, the writers have no clue as to how to write dialogue, so they decide to talk dirty for an hour and a half and call it good. It isn’t. It’s awful. If this is still the remains of trying for shock value in movies, it doesn’t work anymore. It’s boring. It’s dull. It’s repetitive. Viewers don’t want shock value. We want entertainment. Somewhere out there in Hollywood land, there have to be writers who can actually write – who have imagination – who have creativity. But, unfortunately, none were hired for this movie. Blah!

Good Movie

30 Minutes or Less would go on TV the night, so I decided to watch the movie, but without any expectations, and I ended up liking the film, I thought a lot of fun, the cast is good, Jesse Eisenberg is well, Danny McBride good and funny, Aziz Ansaria this very well, I rather laugh with him, Nick Swardson, Michael Peña, Fred Ward and etc, the script is weak, more has really funny moments, and some fun dialogues, even the majority being uninteresting, the direction of the film is weak and the pace is moderate, I was not bored, most believe it will be very, 30 Minutes or Less is fun, have a good time, plus has a weak script and direction without any inspiration. Note 7.0

Stupid but fun

30 Minutes or Less is one short film, but snappier than a angry crocodile. The story’s ludicrous, but sustains our suspension of disbelief. An immature man (Dany McBride), living under a strict, wealthy father, plots his assassination. Along with his not-as-stupid-but-still-stupid best friend (Nick Swardson), they strap a bomb to a pizza delivery guy (Jesse Eisenberg), and force him to rob a bank, so they can pay for a hit-man to bump off McBride’s father. McBride and Swardson’s stupidity match their unquestionable plans. The bank robbery’s not exaggerated or understated thanks to the directing skills of Ruben Fleischer (known for Zombieland) and the main man Jesse Eisenberg. Now comfortable in the comedy field, Eisenberg naturally juggles humour with nerves. 30 Minutes or Less is chock-full of humour, action and energetic dialogue, all the while keeping character’s traits. 30MoL comes with a weakness though: Danny McBride. He manages to uphold the ‘biggest moron’ and ‘biggest typecast’ awards, producing the fewest laughs. Aziz Ansari however, picks up the award for the most. He’s the yin to Eisenberg’s yang, joining Eisenberg on the nightmare of all days.

Have some heavy Laugh

30 Minutes or Less does pack in some pretty heavy laughs, most of them coming from Aziz Ansari as he shows why he should be involved as the lead in more R-rated comedies. He’s different and funnier than most comedy actors and he almost compliments the mediocre Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. All I can say is that 2011, along with Your Highness, has not been a kind year for Danny McBride. And when considering Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star it hasn’t necessarily been Swardson’s year-to-remember either. The premise is cute, the actors are energetic and lively, and some big laughs are achieved. Ultimately, this is the work of a first time screenwriter and instead of working on something much, much easier, he decided to dive into a film with sizable stars with basic skills. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari in a film together again, in fact, I’d commend it, but hopefully next time they’ll be in a film where there is more laughs and less yelling.

Enjoyable.

30 Minutes or Less takes a rather dark and yet funny premise, but then plays it more like an action movie. Eisenberg is strapped with a bomb and is told to rob a bank. What’s quite peculiar about this film is that it focuses so much on the Danny McBride character. It seems as though they are trying to put some development around him, but there is nothing to like about him. He’s lazy, crude, stupid, and dangerous. Aziz Ansari is just difficult to watch. He has no comic timing, and can only express his lines in one tone of voice. The heist itself is a great watch, and I loved how the pacing kept the movie going. It wasn’t just a large number of failed robberies. The movie kept on moving towards the finale. I don’t think I had a genuine laugh here, but I was never bored and the short running time worked in its favour. Despite the enjoyment factor, I never once believed the bomb was close to going off, removing any tension.