I was excited for this movie to come out and when it finally hit theaters and I watched it, I came out a bit disappointed. Months later, after watching it on both DVD and Blu ray, I have a different perspective.

The story is about a stoner, Seth Rogen, who witnesses a murder, only to have the murderers come after him and his weed dealer, played by James Franco. The two of them struggle to get away from the murderers, one of which is a female cop played by Rosie Perez (from the classic “White Men Can’t Jump”), and plenty of smoking and hilarity ensues. 

Rogen’s personality seemed a bit more abrasive to me than in his other films, and for a good part of the movie he comes off as being more of a jerk than funny. I understand this may have been how the role was written, but at times he just seemed to be too much of a dick to laugh at.  Franco, on the other hand, does a great job of providing a smoked out melllow contrast to Rogen’s brutish personality.  Some of Franco’s “stoned” comments are so crazy they’re hilarious.

The supporting cast is perhaps one of the funniest parts of the movie.  Character actors from other Rogen-Apatow movies make hilarious cameos throughout the film. I actually think that these strong supporting players have been key to the huge success of their films.  Most notably is the always hilarious Craig Robinson as one of the hitmen tracking Rogen.  Robinson steals just about every scene he’s in, and his dialogue and delivery are so funny you wish he was in the movie more.  Also in the movie is Danny McBride as Red, who also accounts for a good chunk of the hilarious moments in the film.

Overall the movie is really good. Not excellent, but really good. Perhaps the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much in theaters the first time is because its hard to catch all of the little comments and extra jokes made when the entire theater is laughing at something just seconds prior. 

I used to feel that the Blu Ray format was most effective for action movies and movies that rely heavily on special effects. While watching the Pineapple Express Blu Ray I realized that it is just as good for comedies and dramatic movies as well. Facial expressions, gestures, and mannerisms become more alive and noticeable, conveying more emotion than any explosion or CGI creature. 

Such details may not matter much to the average moviegoer, but if you have Blu Ray you obviously are looking for something more than an average experience (especially @ $30 a Blu Ray) and so every little detail counts.  For anyone looking to laugh, check out Pineapple Express. Be sure to listen to the dialogue closely as there are some genuinely funny lines throughout the movie that can be easily missed.