How Pineapple Express Ended An Entire Genre Of Movies

This small interaction toward the end of Pineapple Express tells us everything we need to know about the film. Three people celebrating one another and their accomplishments while battered and bruised from a night of mayhem. It's a simple moment, but one that serves as a thesis for the heartfelt stoner comedy. It's this heart and earnestness that made Pineapple Express the peak of the mountain. But what made it so wonderful? And how did it cast such a long shadow that made every stoner comedy since pale in comparison? Pineapple Express was released in 2008 based on an abstract thought conceived by Judd Apatow. After watching the Tony Scott, Quentin Tarantino classic True Romance, Apatow wondered what would happen to Brad Pitt's stoner character if he was pursued by bad guys. He wanted to know why more movies don't follow the characters that aren't traditionally the protagonists. Enter non-traditional protagonist Seth Rogen. Collaborating with longtime friend Evan Goldberg, the two would begin perfecting Apatow's original idea and transforming it into what is affectionately called the stoner comedy. These sorts of movies rose to prominence in the late 70s, mostly due to Cheech and Chong. Is it heavy stuff, man? Will it blow me away? Two comedians who embraced their love of marijuana and made it as much a part of the movies as their lives. While Hollywood had dropped drug references and even a few outlier characters before, we had not seen two leading actors who reflected the youth and counterculture of the era so vividly. After the Reagan era and war on drugs took hold of the country, traditional stoner comedies had fallen to the wayside, leaving sober equivalents like Bill and Ted or Wayne's World. And there's nothing wrong with lovable goofs, but the hint-hint, wink-wink asides were hardly the relatability we craved. No way. Yes way, Ted! But culture is a pendulum, and the kids who grew up on Cheech and Chong were now making movies of their own. Some of these movies felt homegrown, made with friends or on minuscule budgets. They felt within grasp. Movies like Friday and Harold and Kumar embraced the realism and day-to-day, while others like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Grandma's Boy fully embraced the pothead fantasy of wish fulfillment. Drive, monkey, drive! And while these movies had a cult following, there was still something missing to make Pineapple Express was a welcome and celebrated elevation to a genre that had been continuously glossed over. And with Seth Rogen and James Franco as the two leads, they held a smoky mirror up to the youth culture of the time. There was a feeling of earnestness in our two leads, and not just because both actors were vocal, even then, about their drug use, it was because Rogen and Goldberg's script treated the characters as well-rounded people and not just one-dimensional caricatures. They made mistakes and heroic choices and evolved throughout the entire film, while still managing to stay the lovable stoners we first meet throughout the film's wild second half. The problem with selling a hybrid stoner-comedy-action movie is how ethereal it can sound. Part of the appeal in making a stoner comedy is its modest budget, but pairing that with the over-the-top set pieces and action choreography just ups the budget. It wasn't until The 40-Year-Old Virgin's success that the studio was willing to give Apatow carte blanche, but even that came with a caveat. While most of Apatow's movies had been around a $40 million budget, the studio insisted that they would only spend $25 million, given the base storyline. But Apatow knew the characters were worth celebrating, he just needed the right director. Which brings us to Pineapple Express's director, David Gordon Green. Green had made his start directing critically lauded dramas like George Washington, All the Real Girls, and Undertow. His films were quiet and poignant, with emphasis on cinematography and giving the story room to breathe. Most commonly compared to Terrence Malick, his stories focused on characters who wanted something out of life. Going from those types of films to the action-driven stoner comedy so early in his career would have been like Malick doing Up in Smoke after Days of Heaven. It seems like an off-kilter fit, but Green's knack for empathizing and showing characters from all angles is what gives Pineapple Express its most human touch. And that's what attracted Green to working with Rogan and Apatow. There was a clear consensus on who these people were and how they wanted to interact with one another. While Rogan originally wanted to play the role of drug dealer Saul, Apatow suggested James Franco. After a table read, Rogan knew Apatow was right. Saul is drastically against type for what middle America might consider a drug dealer. Simple and kind, Saul just wants to love and be around his friends. After Rogan relinquished the part of Saul DeFranco, he cast himself as the character of Dale Denton. More of a traditional straight man, he was an earnest dreamer who wanted more out of life but rested on the fact that his job let him fall into a routine of vice. There was a sense of want in Dale. Something tethered to his exhaustion and giving up on those around him and himself. Due to the actor's real-life friendship, both worked in tandem to make the perfect odd couple. But after Dale witnessed a gang take out their competition during a work stop, Dale and Saul become entangled in a drug war. As they struggle to survive, we see their friendship ebb and flow like real human relationships. There are genuine lows and highs for both characters, but through it all, the two maintain a friendship that gets tested and proven over and over again. And that's heartwarming to watch because even around the absurd circumstances, the movie still manages to feel relatable and comforting. A lot of stoner comedies are, at their core, hangout movies. That genre generally follows a handful of people as they experience the world around them. And those movies are generally well-received. But stoner comedies are often pushed to the side for their oft-times crass humor and a romanticization of substance abuse. While there's a lot to be said, more than we have time for in this video, about the difference between glorifying the alcoholic while condemning the drug user. But at their heart, they're just tales of friendship, normally about outcasts and the fringe society. Albeit here, the traditional hangout has been replaced with a tale of survival. It was Getting Big, a stoner action movie that reveled in its 60s influences and charismatic leads. Luckily for Apatow and co, it paid off. Not only was the movie wildly successful, it set a bar that has yet to be passed. A few years later, Green, McBride, and Franco would reunite to blend the stoner comedy with 80s fantasy in Your Highness. And it failed on almost every level. The optimism and sincerity of Saul and Dale was replaced with bickering brothers varying from egotistical, insecure, and aloof. Green said often in press that this would be his homage to one of his favorite genres. It seemed like a match made in heaven. The trippy surrealism of Hinson-esque fantasy coupled with potheads. But this time, it felt more haphazard, a run-of-the-mill assembly line of trope, pot joke, trope. Quite simply, it became everything that Pineapple Express had fought against. Maybe it was because there was a sense of resting on their laurels. A feeling that they thought you liked it the first time, right? Here it is again. Pineapple Express did something stoner comedies haven't done since. They made its characters stoners, but not people who only spoke of or bragged about smoking weed. And that's a success that may never be replicated again. As the culture moves forward, marijuana has become less and less taboo, even legalized in many states. While that's undeniably wonderful for the country, the romanticism of the outlaw culture has now been stripped away. Pineapple Express was the exact right movie at the right time. A perfect culmination of talent, comedy, and offbeat ideas. Beneath the inventive cursing, madcap action, and buddy comedy, the movie answered the question that Apatow originally posed. This could be what happens when the bad guys chase the lovable stoner. So what do you think? Let us know in the comments below what newly released movies have touched you and made you believe in friendship the same way Pineapple Express did in 2008. As always, thanks so much for watching. And if you have some more time, click on another thumbnail to stay with Nerdstalgic.