Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Michael Pena, Dilshad Vadsaria, Bianca Kajlich and Fred Ward
Directed By: Ruben Fleischer
Screenplay By: Michael Dilberti
Story By: Michael Dilberti and Matthew Sullivan
Produced By: Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller and Jeremy Kramer
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Rating: R, for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity and some violence.
Running Time: Approximately 83 minutes
Website: 30minutesorless.com
Budget: $20 million
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Release Date: August 12, 2011
Director Ruben Fleischer and Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) first collaborated together on the critically and commercially successful zombie-killing, road trip comedy Zombieland. Now they’ve reunited to bring moviegoers another rollicking, R-rated hybrid of action, violence and comedy – 30 Minutes or Less.
However, unlike Zombieland, Fleischer’s second feature film has been met with some controversy on the eve of its opening due to the fact that its plot (a pizza delivery man is coerced into robbing a local bank or face being blown to smithereens thanks to the bomb his kidnappers have strapped to him) is eerily reminiscent of a 2003 incident in Pennsylvania where a 46-year-old veteran pizza delivery man unsuccessfully robbed a bank and was subsequently killed by a rigged bomb collar.
In 30 Minutes or Less, Eisenberg, age 27 (tsk-tsk, ageist Hollywood!) assumes the role of Nick, the not-so-veteran pizza delivery man. Fleischer establishes the film’s punchy, loose tone right out of the gate as we are treated to the sight of Nick zipping around the sunny, yet muted climes of Grand Rapids, Michigan in his boxy 5.0 Mustang.
He’s attempting to beat the clock so he won’t be forced to honor the customer guarantee (any pizza not delivered within 30 minutes is free). Of course, he runs a little late. The two teens who ordered knew he wouldn’t make it in the first place, but in a totally pimp move, Nick cons the underage duo into paying for the pizza, and has enough left to buy himself the beer he tricked the teens into thinking he’d buy them. Yeah, it’s that kind of party, kids.
Nick is the sort of classic underachiever who was probably voted “most likely to succeed” back in high school but is content drinking and smoking his life away, while his roommate and best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari), a substitute teacher who was likely voted “most likely to be a bus driver,” is of the opinion that Nick steal a page out of his book and get his act together before the opportunity passes him by.
Meanwhile, “mean” halfwit Dwayne (Danny McBride of HBO‘s “Eastbound & Down“) and “decent” halfwit Travis (Nick Swardson) concoct a plan to kill Dwayne’s gruff ex-military dad (Fred Ward) in order to pocket the remainder of the $10 million lottery jackpot he had won some time ago and open a tanning salon that would specialize in happy endings. A local stripper (Bianca Kajlich) gives Dwayne the idea to hire a hitman, but neither Dwayne nor Travis have the money needed to pay for the job. So they take Nick hostage during a late night pizza run, chloroform him, and the next morning he wakes up in the bomb vest and is told he has 10 hours to rob a local bank, or go BOOM!
Clocking in at a brisk 83 minutes, 30 Minutes or Less is a lewd, crude, vulgar guilty pleasure that doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is – a fun, popcorn movie. The script, written by Michael Dilberti, is filled with pop culture references, ranging from Domino Pizza’s old tagline to Facebook to Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s two most popular films: Point Break and The Hurt Locker. The cast is engaging, even McBride, who rebounds admirably from the total embarrassment that was Your Highness from earlier this year. He plays a total douche here without apology, which is refreshing in a day and age where too many actors want their characters to be sympathetic and likable. Michael Pena, as the hitman, shows up halfway through and seems to relish the opportunity to play a badass. He’s appropriately charming and menacing, as one would expect a skilled killer to be.
The filmmakers claim to have been “vaguely aware” of the real-life event that the film eerily mirrors. Whether that’s true or not, 30 Minutes or Less should be taken for the fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly effective escapist fare that it is, nothing more. Make sure to stick around through the end credits, some lingering questions are answered.
3 Stars
