Review: 30 Minutes or Less
*This was meant to be a video review a while back, but I got busy with moving, so I never got a chance to edit the footage. You’ll find that this review is a bit more conversational as a result*
Back in 2009, Ruben Fleischer and Jesse Eisenberg brought us “Zombieland,” a hip horror comedy with a hilarious take on the post-apocalyptic world. Part of what made “Zombieland” so great, was its unique blend of pop culture references, entertaining zombie kills, and its surprisingly practical list of survival rules. The other key element was Jesse Eisenberg who played the nervous narrator Columbus. His deadpan sarcasm was strangely balanced by hopeful optimism in a way which made him a joy to watch.
Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled when i heard Fleischer and Eisenberg would be teaming up again, to take on the action movie genre in “30 Minutes or Less.” In the film, Eisenberg plays Nick an unfortunate pizza delivery guy who is kidnapped by a couple of hapless criminals, portrayed by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. These two dimwits need money to finance their criminal ventures, so they strap a bomb to Nick and force him to rob a bank for them.
Knowing he can’t go it alone, Nick seeks help from the only place he can think of: his best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari). Nick and Chet’s friendship is on the rocks though, for reasons I won’t spoil. As you can guess though, Nick guilts him into helping. That’s when the bumbling average Joes hatch a plan to take down their local bank. The rest of the movie becomes a desperate race for Chet and Nick to get the money before times runs out and Nick is blown up.
“30 Minutes or Less” pays homage to the action movie genre in the same ways, “Zombieland” does to horror. Fleischer mashes together buddy cop movies and heist capers to create a flick that is both funny and frantic. With two sets of friends, it comes off like two buddy stories, set against the backdrop of a robbery. The movie brilliantly references films of the same category like “Lethal Weapon,” “Die Hard,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Point Break.” Also it doesn’t hesitate to drop pop culture nods to Facebook, Wikipedia, and Netflix.
After watching Jesse Eisenberg play a series of awkward roles, it’s great to see him transitioning toward slightly more bold self-assured characters like Nick. The real star in the mix is Aziz Ansari who is an absolute riot as Nick’s best friend Chet. It’s clear that Ansari excels at improvisation from the way the jokes naturally flow from him. While Danny McBride and Nick Swardson seem like an appropriate pair as the other half of this buddy comedy i did not find McBride very funny. Either McBride has developed a reputation for playing crude schlubs that he can’t seem to shake or it’s the only character he knows how to play. Regardless, it’s sad to watch.
Honestly I was feeling somewhat meh after seeing this film the first time, but I realized it’s the kind that gets funnier with each viewing. The second time, I enjoyed its humor a lot more once i picked up on additional subtle jokes and amusing banter between the characters. Even though it’s not quite as funny as “Zombieland,” “30 Minutes or Less” is still a pretty damn good time.
My grade : B+