Jack Goes Confidential: ’30 MINUTES OR LESS” For Slacker Comedy

If you’re going to film a low budget, 83 minute-long, R-rated slacker comedy in Grand Rapids, Michigan you better make it a funny one…

Especially when you’ve got Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg fresh off his THE SOCIAL NETWORK success in it! And guess what, ZOMBIELAND director Ruben Fleischer kinda sorta gets it done. Which makes me wonder whether his co-producer Ben Stiller didn’t have a hand in pulling it off?

The story has Eisenberg playing pizza boy Nick who’s constantly racing against the clock to deliver the goods to customers before the 30 minutes or its free deadline is up. He usually blows it. Nick’s best bud Chet—played by Aziz Ansari—has improved his status in life by becoming a teacher.

And Nick’s confession though that he schtupped Chet’s little sister hasn’t helped their buddy relationship much.

Across town a couple of bumbling douchebags named Dwayne and Travis( Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) hatch a plan to open a tanning parlor that’s going to act as a front for a small whorehouse.
But to start up their midwest tanning/brothel operation they need $100,000.

How do they get it?

They kidnap Nick while on a pizza delivery run. Strap a remote control bomb on him and force him to rob a bank. Now as the bomb’s clock ticks down there’s all sorts of hell to pay—including hit man Michael Pena and his stripper girlfriend.

Oh, and the movie’s laced with language and a dose of T & A. All that plus Fred Ward as Dwayne’s gung-ho ex-marine dad.

What can I say?

This action-comedy has the feel of HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE meets a poor man’s PINEAPPLE EXPRESS.

30 MINUTES OR LESS flipping-off 2-1/2 out of 5 fingers.
 

JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES is Kansas City radio’s longest running movie-magazine!