Laugh's not like that
Aiming to emulate the success of his debut feature, Zombieland (2009), director Ruben Fleischer turns to another densely populated genre: action-comedy. The outcome, however, is sorely disappointing. A laborious affair drained of what little potential it might have had, the film isn't exciting or amusing.
30 minutes or less
Direction: Ruben Fleischer
Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari
Rating: *
Aiming to emulate the success of his debut feature, Zombieland (2009), director Ruben Fleischer turns to another densely populated genre: action-comedy. The outcome, however, is sorely disappointing. A laborious affair drained of what little potential it might have had, the film isn't exciting or amusing.
We are expected to titter at the misadventures of a pizza-delivery boy (Eisenberg, squandering the goodwill he earned with last year's The Social Network). The hapless youngster is caught up in a spiral of dumb situations.
A couple of wannabe thugs strap him with a homemade explosive device and demand that he rob a bank for them. Accompanied by his resentful childhood friend (Ansari), they pull off the heist but decide to keep the loot. The question is: can they escape from the clutches of the dopey duo, not to mention their hired assassin and his stripper sidekick. Who cares? Replete with expletives (some of which, of course, have been bleeped in the release print) the screenplay is irksomely shallow.
A stand-up comedian of Indian origin, Aziz Ansari displays a flair for the funny stuff. Both he and Dilshad Vadsaria who portrays his plucky sister are appealing.
Taking a cue from the title perhaps, one might be tempted to flee from this no-brainer in 30 Minutes Or Less.
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