The new comedy “30 Minutes or Less” can’t even stretch itself to the unofficial movie running time minimum – 90 minutes.
That’s a hint at the film’s less than lofty ambitions. It’s a slacker buddy romp with so little on its mind it doesn’t bother closing the loop on its own running gags. Yet the curious team of Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari give the film more edge than it deserves.
Professional losers Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson) decide to off Dwayne’s rich pappy (Fred Ward) for his inheritance. First, they’ll need some scratch to hire a hit man for the job. So they summon a pizza delivery man Nick (Eisenberg) to their home and strap a bomb to his chest. If Nick doesn’t rob a local bank for them, they’ll push a button and .kabluey.
In a panic, Nick summons his best pal Chet (Aziz Ansari) for help in robbing the bank and getting that ticking bomb off his chest.
Director Ruben Fleischer, who gave us the sharp horror comedy “Zombieland” in his big-screen debut, clearly wanted to shrink expectations for his follow-up project. “30 Minutes” is little more than a thumbnail sketch, a slapdash array of comic situations no one really thought through. McBride’s character is an oaf, but then he’s a gimlet-eyed killer, and later he’s an old softie who rushes to the aid of his friend Travis.
And Travis is a push over, but later in the film he wields a flame thrower like a steely man of action.
So which is it?
It’s hardly worth sussing out, since “30 Minutes” is such a ramshackle affair. Nick and Chet banter like old friends with more than a few grudges between them, and seeing them dig up dirt on the other during a fight shows just how good the two actors could be in a better project. But the screenplay serves up silly, inconsequential humor, the kind that feels concocted on the spot during the second or third ad lib session.
Where’s Larry David when you need some improv inspiration?
Michael Pena summons laughs out of thin air as the Latino hit man itching to get the job done. It’s the kind of quietly unhinged work that a comedy like this needs, especially since the comedy killing dream team of McBride and Swardson get so much screen time. When did our culture decide these two were even remotely funny?
“30 Minutes or Less” was made for channel surfers eager for a comedy that doesn’t tax the synapses. Pay full price, and it’s like getting an ice-cold pizza delivered to your doorway.
(Photo: Comedian Aziz Ansari and Jesse Eisenberg are on the run in “30 Minutes or Less.” Sony Pictures)
Related posts:
on 
on 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Is it even possible to review this movie without acknowledging the truly awful murder that is its source material? It’s like if someone were to make a “slacker buddy romp” out of the Caylee Anthony murder: wouldn’t reviewers have a responsibility to acknowledge that in their reviews?
I agree completely about McBride (I am not as familiar with Swardson). In every role I have seen him in, he makes me cringe and takes me out of the movie.
I’m not terribly enthusiastic about this movie, but I thought McBride was pretty funny in Tropic Thunder and Eastbound & Down.
Victor – I’m aware of the controversy and was going to address it in a separate posting. It seemed too big to squeeze into a standard review.
Tink in Cali:
Nick Swardson is an over-rated stand-up comic with (IMO) limited talent and even fewer laffs.
Nick Swardson works in very limited doses on-screen, something Grandma’s Boy barely captured in the laughter department, plus he was just swimming in Shirley Jones’ awesome wake in his best scenes anyway.
Good to know the trailer was the best thing about 30 Minutes, too, which’ll be a Netflix streaming choice now, at best.
Nice Review! As R-rated comedies go, this one is modestly enjoyable but unremarkable, liable to be forgotten in, oh, say, a half hour or so. The cast is having fun and although the film is over in 1 hour and 23 minutes, you still have fun the whole time. Check out my review when you can!
Thanks! I agree now that it deserves it’s own post… and that the movie should stand or fall on its own merits.