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+ Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Best Stone Comedy of the Year
Three popular male stars, - with just two of them receiving credit, - on this smoke-filled poster for David Gordon Green's Pineapple Express
A civil servant visits a pot dealer and gets a new kind of weed called Pineapple Express. On his next trip, however, he witnesses a police murder, which gets connected to him and the dealer.
Pineapple Express is written by Evan Goldberg (Preacher (2016-19)) and co-writer/co-star Seth Rogen (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)), with co-producer/co-writer Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island (2020)) contributing story elements, and directed by Arkansan master filmmaker David Gordon Green (George Washington (2000)), whose 5th feature it is.
It is a wacky, potty-mouthed film, ripe with stoner humor, - right from Bill Hader's (The Skeleton Twins (2014)) fairly unrelated 1937-set opening scene to the very end, - but also with flashes of crazy-comedy and deadpan gags. James Franco (The Interview (2014)), Rogen and Danny McBride (Arizona (2018)) compliment each other well and are seconded by scores of other funny folk here, of whom especially Craig Robinson (The Bad Guys (2022)) and the police women (Rosie Perez (Inside the Rain (2019)) and Cleo King (Deadwood: The Movie (2019, TV movie))) are funny.
Pineapple Express, and especially the extended home video version, is overlong, but the laughs are plentiful along the way.
[Pineapple Express premiered 31 July (Hollywood) and runs 112 minutes. Shooting took place from March - May 2007 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit The Dark Knight, to a 23.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5), grossing 87.3 mil. $ (85.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 6.9 mil. $ (6.7 %) and Australia with 3.6 mil. $ (3.5 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film made an estimated 48 mil. $ on the North-American home video market as well. Plans for a sequel stranded, as the stars and filmmakers wanted 50 mil. $ for it, and Sony would 'only' allow 45 mil. $. Green returned with Your Highness (2011). Rogen returned in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008); Franco in Nights in Rodanthe (2008). Pineapple Express is fresh at 68 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
+ Best Coming-of-Age Title of the Year + Best New TV-series of the Year
Paul Feig's Freaks and Geeks gathered a dynamite cast of young actors, seen here in front of school lockers on a poster for the show
Freaks and Geeks is created by Paul Feig (Sick in the Head (2003, TV movie)) and executive produced by Judd Apatow (The Big Sick (2017)). The show takes place in and around a high school in suburban Detroit in the 1980s, where we focus on siblings Sam (played by awfully cute young John Francis Daley (Game Night (2018))) and his big sister Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini (Green Book (2018))), who both attend the same school and go as part of the different groups there, the 'geeks' and 'freaks', respectively. There's fun and a special authentic vibe to the show right from the beginning, as Sam and his friends are bullied. Lindsay throws a party (ep. 2: Beers & Weirs), which doesn't work out as she had hoped, but characteristically the failure doesn't go overboard as it would on many other shows. There's a perceptive and funny portrayal of middle class meeting lower class (ep. 4: Kim Kelly Is My Friend), and one of the doubts and fears inspired by watching porn at an early age (ep. 5: Tess and Breasts). Jason Segel (LolliLove (2004)) is very funny as drum-obsessed Nick, who has a cool garage but isn't a very good drummer. Lindsay becomes his short-lived girlfriend and falls for him hard.Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)) appears as a super-cute mascot (ep. 9: We've Got Spirit).Becky Ann Baker (The Blacklist (2019, TV-series)) and Joe Flaherty (Slackers (2002)) are hilarious as the Weir parents, who are shocked to find that Lindsay views them as robots but find their base again through lovemaking (ep. 10: The Diary). Both young Weirs are in the process of locating their personality and identity, as in ep. 11: Look and Books, in which Sam buys a fancy jumpsuit, and Lindsay changes her path back to being a 'winner' and, concurrently, a 'mathlete'. Sam, though younger, also chase a romance, Cindy, a girl who is mostly preoccupied with other boys, but when she is suddenly before Sam, he gets terrified, (ep. 16: Smooching and Mooching). They share a very short term as boyfriend/girlfriend, which ends when Cindy doesn't think Steve Martin-comedy The Jerk (1979) funny, - a dealbreaker for Sam. The show has elements rarely seen in a mainstream TV-series at the time, like a transgender girl (Seth Rogen's (The Disaster Artist (2017)) character's girlfriend reveals to him to have 'ambiguous genitalia', ep. 17: The Little Things), and miss-givings from both Lindsay and the school counselor about a visit from the then vice president George Bush. As the season ends, Lindsay turns down an offer to participate in an elite school camp to attend a Grateful Dead concert instead, with Kim (Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty (2018))) and friends. And Nick has a new girlfriend is also falling for disco! The episodes are sometimes long and loose, especially some in the middle of the season, where it treads water a bit. But there is so much good around these few patches that Freaks and Geeks remains a rare favorite: The opening credits are fantastic, with each major character goofing around and showing a clear piece of their person to the camera in a manner of seconds. There's a long row of enjoyable guest stars, and the regular cast are all outstanding as the charming and funny characters. There are real feelings at play and real issues, especially that of finding oneself, which is the major theme of adolescence and the coming-of-age genre. It is infectious, touching, very well-written and often terribly funny. Best episodes: 3: Tricks and Treats - Written by Feig; directed by Bryan Gordon (Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-17)) Sam and Lindsay's mother's Halloween cakes are thrown outside their house. Sam's friends pester him for convincing them to go trick or treating, although they argue they are too old for that now, when Lindsay and her friends even egg them! A terrific Halloween show that puts a sweet spin on the recognizable theme of disappointment. 12: The Garage Door - Written by Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah (90210 (2008-13), both) and Patty Lin (Breaking Bad (2008, TV-series)); directed by Feig Sam witnesses his close friend Neal Schweiber's (Samm Levine (I'd Like to Be Alone Now (2019))) father hug a blond at the mall, and it opens a can of worms: Together the trio of friends head out to locate the mysterious blond. Meanwhile Ken (Rogen) falls for a girl who plays the tuba, and Lindsay still has to fend off still enamored Nick. Funny, sweet and a bit painful. 14: Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers - Written by Apatow, Bob Nickman (According to Jim (2002-06)); directed by Apatow Lindsay and Kim accidentally run over Lindsay's uncool friend Millie's dog and decide not to speak of it, but inadvertently push Millie into an escalating youth rebellion as a fan of The Who. Meanwhile Sam's friend Bill (Martin Starr (Silicon Valley (2014-19))) has a major crisis, as their gym teacher becomes his mother's boyfriend, something he ultimately accepts. 15: Noshing and Moshing - Written by J. Elvin Weinstein (Later (1994-96)); directed by Jake Kasdan (Orange County (2002)) Lindsay's friend Daniel (James Franco (Future World (2018))) breaks up with Kim and flirts with a punk-milieu girl from the gas station. The Schweibers invite to a Christmas party, and Neal entertains with his ventriloquist act, - and reveals to his mother that his father is unfaithful. Real emotions and strong acting from Levine, Franco, Phillips and others. Related posts: Paul Feig: Ghostbusters (2016) - Feig's reboot is the summer's light-heartedly funny, slimy major release 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess Spy (2015) - Feig and McCarthy score spy spoof gold! The Heat (2013) or, Prissy and Offensive in Boston Top 10: Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 2011 in films - according to Film Excess Bridesmaids (2011) - Subversive comedy with laughs a-plenty
Cost: Reportedly 1.5 mil./episode, coming to 27 mil. $ for the season Box office: None - TV-series = Uncertain [Freaks and Geeks was first broadcast at NBC from 25 September 1999 - 17 October 2000, ending its run on the Fox Family Channel. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles. The show averaged 6.77 mil. viewers and was compared to Friends and Frasier, both shows that had more than double that. Clashes persisted between the showrunners and network execs, who did not understand or appreciate the show; they wanted a cool high school portrayal with kids that were 'winners'. For this reason NBC canceled the show after 12 episodes were aired; only through a fan campaign did they agree to show the next 3 episodes in the summer of 2000, with the last three episodes being shown at the Fox Family Channel. Apatow stated in 2014; "Everything I've done, in a way, is revenge for the people who cancelled Freaks and Geeks." Apatow gathered many of the actors from the show for Undeclared (2001), a college-set comedy in the same vein at the Fox network, which was also canceled after its first season. The show won 1/3 Primetime Emmy nominations. Freaks and Geeks was since recognized as one of the greatest TV-series of all time by several outlets. IMDb's users have voted it in at #59, between Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) and Arrested Development (2003), on their Top 250 TV chart. Feig returned as screenwriter with I Am David (2003) and as a show creator with Other Space (2015), also canceled after its first season. Cardellini returned in Legally Blonde (2001); Daley in Boston Public (2000-01)). Freaks and Geeks - season 1 is certified fresh at 100 % with an 9.67/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Freaks and Geeks - season 1?
+ Best On-Screen Couple of the Year: Téa Leoni & Jim Carrey
Perhaps just in case anyone doubted which genre was up here, this unsubtle poster for Dean Parisot's Fun with Dick and Jane spells out FUN in letters so big that they have to appear vertically to fit
Dick Harper gets a top job at the corporation GloboDyne, but as the company crashes soon thereafter, he and his wife are forced to sell everything they own, and they resort to robberies in order to make ends meet.
Fun with Dick and Jane is written by Judd Apatow (Love (2016-18)) and Nicholas Stoller (Storks (2016)), remaking the same-titled 1977 hit comedy by Ted Kotcheff, which starred George Segal and Jane Fonda. The new version is directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest (1999)). Jim Carrey (Horton Hears a Who! (2008)) and Téa Leoni (Madam Secretary (2014-19)) make an odd, endearing couple, and they are a joy to see clown around. Their robbery scenes are particularly funny. But the ordeal here is generally not as smartly devised or engaging as, for instance, Barry Levinson's heist comedy Bandits (2001), although Fun with Dick and Jane, with its focus on the upsetting life of poverty, does have some timeliness to it. But it is a very light thematic fencing with few laughs overall.
Watch the two stars shine as only two major comedic talents can in this genuinely funny clip of one of the film's robbery scenes here
Cost: 100 mil. $ Box office: 202 mil. $ = Flop (returned 2.02 times the cost) [Fun with Dick and Jane was released 21 December (USA) and runs 91 minutes. The Coen brothers as writers, Barry Sonnenfeld as director and Cameron Diaz as co-star all left the project before production. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, in and around September 2004, with 2 weeks of reshoots later. The film opened #3, behind holdover hits King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, to a 14.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3-#4) and grossed 110.3 mil. $ (54.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 12.2 mil. $ (6 %) and Australia with 8.6 mil. $ (4.3 %). Roger Ebert agreed with me in giving the film a 2.5/4 star review. Parisot returned with 6 TV credits before a theatrical return with RED 2 (2013). Carrey returned in The Number 23 (2007), Leoni in You Kill Me (2007). Fun with Dick and Jane is rotten at 28 % with a 4.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Fun with Dick and Jane?
