Though slow to start, “30 Minutes or Less,” a comedic twist on a bank robbery, did not disappoint.
The story centered on a young, 20-something slacker. But when two money-crazed idiots decided to strap a bomb on his chest so he would rob a bank, it all quickly changed.
Nick, the main character, played by Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), became a whole heck of a lot braver, but I guess it would happen to anyone with a bomb strapped to his or her chest.
A cast full of laugh riots, such as Aziz Ansari (“Parks and Recreation”), Danny McBride (“Hot Rod”) and Nick
Swardson (“The Benchwarmers”), only helped to fuel the burn of laughter, with their seemingly impossible abilities to talk extremely fast. However, it is definitely not hard to keep up with the two dummies running the show, Dwayne and Travis (McBride and Swardson).
After strapping the bomb to Nick’s chest, they demanded he not only rob the bank, but do it in a matter of 10 hours, otherwise … well, you can guess.
Driven mad by the crazy demand, Nick goes to his best friend, Chet (Ansari) to plead for help. After agreeing to the madness, the two successfully rob a bank, but unfortunately, things do not go as smoothly as hoped.
With an odd yet surprisingly hilarious turn of events, “30 Minutes or Less” was delivered well by the cast.
While it looked inexpensive to film, its appearance only added to its hysterical stupidity. The cast did so well that it felt like a bunch of friends had gotten together to film a goofy hit. The unexpected chemistry between Eisenberg and Ansari made their friendship seem real, even behind the scenes, which always makes a movie better.
“30 Minutes or Less” was directed by Ruben Fleischer, who has done quite a bit of work with “Funny or Die,” and also directed “Zombieland,” another goofy comedy starring Eisenberg.
Yet no movie is perfect, especially not comedies. Unfortunately, it lacked a bit in character development and length, which could have saved it from being an emotionless pile of reels.
Also, to warn you, the title has absolutely nothing to do with what the movie is about, except for all the unnecessary justification for the title, which could have easily been replaced.
It is hard to say a bad thing about this movie because it was not a waste of time – it just did not fulfill its full potential.
Any comedy lover should give this a watch because it has the dumb-comedy aspect to it, but with a touch more reality then say, a movie like “Talladega Nights,” starring Will Ferrell.
However, if you are a subtle humor fan, then this is definitely not for you. All of the situational humor has red flags attached.
If silly not so strategically placed jokes and awkward sex comments are your thing, definitely look for it on Netflix or pay the one-time rental fee for a goofy night in.
