I walked into The Pineapple Express excited to see Seth Rogen head-line another comedy and I walked out praising the sheer genius of James Franco. This is another in a long line of successful comedies produced by Judd Apatow, and while I didn’t like it as much as The 40-Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up (and about on par with Superbad), I admired the addition of action and a little bit of a hard edge to the material in this one. It has that never-fail Hitchcock set-up in which an ordinary guy (Rogen), just kicking back in his car and smoking pot, witnesses a murder, and has to go on the run. Together with the pot dealer (Franco), they must survive as a large group of thugs and misfits (led by Gary Cole) follow close behind. It’s actually an unusually structured film, with the beginning feeling close to the slow, goofy tone of 40-Year Old Virgin; the middle feeling a little bit more fast-paced, with an emphasis on the buddy comedy like Superbad; and then an end that feels like something out of a Quentin Tarantino flick. A car chase about mid-way through sets up the idea that we’re in for more than just coffee shop banter (and it’s by far the best action set piece in the movie). It’s astonishing to note that this film was directed by David Gordon Green, who until now has specialized in indie dramas like All the Pretty Girls and Snow Angels (the latter being one of the best movies I’ve seen all this year). Here Green takes a giant leap into mainstream comedy filmmaking, and he makes his mark the most with the character development, particularly in the growing bond between the two leads. Rogen is great as usual, completely on his game every minute of the movie, but it’s Franco that leaves the biggest impression on the viewer. He simply has to. Delegated to a lot of movie character bores in the last decade, in movies like Flyboys, Annapolis, and that trilogy of Spider-Man movies, he breaks out of his shell in this film and has a blast. I don’t know how early on the makers discussed having Franco (a Freaks and Geeks alum along with Mr. Rogen) play the part of the pot dealer, but he is an inspired choice. The movie isn’t perfect, with the third act particularly going on way too long to the point of exhaustion. Rosie Perez is annoying and not a welcome addition to the movie by any means. But overall I enjoyed the majority of this film and will gladly watch it again when it comes out on DVD. And I’ll go back even again for Franco. He’s a revelation in this.