Plotline
Two slackers strap a bomb to a pizza delivery man and tell him to rob a bank.
Review
30 Minutes or Less falls into the trap that many cross-genres fall into: it cancels itself out a lot of the time. When it wants to be funny, it has some good laughs. However, the action brings most of the laughs to a stop and, especially in the second half, makes for some uncomfortable moments.
That’s not to say it’s a bad film. For such a short running time (83 minutes), it actually manages to punch in a few good moments, mostly down to its two double-acts. Danny McBride and Nick Swardson have some funny bits, but as they are the villains their funny moments actually work against the film. Just when you start to like them, they do or say something nasty, taking away any sympathy and cheapening any laughs.
However, the film’s ace comes in the rapport between Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. While neither character particularly works well individually, together they create a fun and believable friendship. As their situation gets more serious and outrageous, their banter gets funnier and it becomes easier to root for them. It is solely down to Eisenberg and Ansari that the film rises above its shortcomings and manages to work.
30 Minutes or Less is an excellent example of dim-witted cinema. There’s nothing funny about what happens (plotlines about kidnapping, bank robbery and contract killing rarely work for giggles), but as it is populated by dumb characters who the audience can feel superior to, it’s easy to laugh at them.
Bottom Line
Perhaps best seen with a large group of friends over a few take-away pizzas at home.
RSS