Move Review - 30 Minutes or Less

When I saw this movie at the video store I expected another dumb guy movie.  Well, I did get another dumb guy movie but, this film was written better then I  expected it to be.  The film is 30 Minutes or Less.

The characters are very believable and realistic.  They are really just normal people put into extreme situations.  It is fascinating to see how they all cope with the stress of their individual situations.

The protagonist of this film, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a down on his luck 20 something who is in a dead end job delivering pizza's.  Jesse is fantastic in this role, his natural energy really lends itself to Nick's manic state of mind.

Nick's best friend Chet (Aziz Ansari), is a bit high strung, but he means well.  Aziz plays the nerdy teacher really well, his nervous energy is very much needed.  There are several scenes where Chet tries to help only to make things worse.

The antagonist of the film comes in the form of Dwayne (Danny McBride).  The first time I saw Danny McBride was in the K-Swiss commercials as Kenny Powers and I thought he was the dumbest guy ever.  After watching him in a few other movies I think I can finally appreciate his brand of humor.  Which is good since he is the exact same character in this film that he always plays.  His father is a huge douchbag and treats him like crap; which is what sets the entire crazy plot of the movie in motion.

The acting is what really makes this film great.  There are special effects in the film, they are really well done.  The special effects team does what they are supposed to, create an illusion of reality in an otherwise unrealistic scene.  There are car crashes, shootouts, and explosions, and they all look pretty cool.  While not a costume film (big dresses, fancy suits), the costume department did a great job dressing everyone look like you would expect them to be dressed in their roles.

Overall this was a great film, and if you are a fan of stupid guy humor then this film is for you.  .  If you are offended by strong language then I would recommend that you steer clear of this movie though.

I rate this film four out of five smiley Mike heads since it is very well written and never predictable.  It was a bit too stupid humor though for me to rate it five smiley Mike heads.