30 Minutes or Less

Rating: 3/5

Well, here it is. My 100th review. I gotta say, knowing that I've seen that many movies in the last couple years is pretty exciting. Just remember, I don't write these reviews because of some sick ego trip or superiority complex. I review movies because I love to, and I like having my opinion out there. I'd like to say thanks to everybody who reads these rants of mine, and everyone who supported me. That said, I'm disappointed that 30 Minutes or Less is my big 100.

Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small-town pizza boy with no ambition and bad luck. This comes into play when losers Dwayne and Travis (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) strap a bomb to him and demand that Nick steal $100,000 for them. Now, Nick has to team up with his ex-best friend (Azis Ansasri) and figure out how to steal the 100 K, avoid the murderous El Chongo (Michael Pena) and exploding.

30 Minutes or Less is the kind of film I shouldn't be reviewing on such a special occasion. Why? Because it isn't a great movie and it isn't a terrible movie. It's smack dab in the "average" category, so I don't get to bring out my fancy vocabulary or seething hatred. Don't get me wrong, 30 Minutes or Less is well directed, acted, shot, and when it's funny, it's damn funny. It just isn't very well written. I think this is partly because this situation actually happened, and it wasn't a happy ending.

On the other hand, Jesse Eisenberg and Azis Ansari are both great, and Danny McBride is the perfect villain. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) does a great job as expected, making scenes flow very well and cool cinematography. It's also got funny and memorable characters. Honestly, I think this movie would be as good as Zombielandif the writing didn't mistake crudeness for lowbrow humor and accepted so many cliches.

Just as the main characters are constantly moving from hijink to hijink, 30 Minutes or Less is a sporadic film. While it has its moments, 30 Minutes or Less just isn't that funny, and some more consistency would have greatly helped it out. And that's all I've got for my 100th review. Again, thank everybody and here's to another 100.