The Extras
Disc one includes the theatrical and extended cuts, commentary, and a few featurettes. You’re missing out if you want to save a few bones, as Saul would say, buying the regular edition. If I were to critique every feature on this Special 2-Disc Edition you’d be reading my review for a week. Definitely check these out:
If Judd Apatow’s name is on the box, expect the cast and crew commentaries to sound like a party. The Pineapple Express DVD assembles the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen. On this track we have actor/writer/executive producer Seth Rogen, actors Danny McBride, James Franco, Craig Robinson, and Rosie Perez, producer Judd Apatow, writer/executive producer Evan Goldberg, and director David Green. I’m not done yet. Actors Ed Begley Jr., Kevin Corrigan and producer Shauna Robertson are on board for part of the time. Quite a feat of scheduling, though Kevin Corrigan has to call in to the studio from his dentist’s chair. When the group gets to talking about the movie, it’s unusual that they point out the flaws along with the usual trivia. Rogen teases critics who thought the story made sense.
The “Direct-O-Rama” featurette shows off David Gordon Green’s unique directing style. He might tell an actor to do karate while reciting lines, or to talk like a robot. Green’s instructions get even weirder and, dare I say, obscene. Play the film again after viewing this and the “Raw Footage” section, and Pineapple Express will be funnier now that you know the inspiration behind the acting.
“Item 9” is a B/W training video preaching the dangers of Pineapple Express. Justin Long, Ken Jeong, and Joe Lo Truglio play test subjects. Long‘s character, a Christian health inspector, feels he’s attained nirvana smoking weed. While Jeong and Lo Truglio as a college professor and janitor experience paranoid delusions. I like Long’s performance. His southern drawl differs from his Dodgeball and Mac computer commercial roles. He’s a better actor than he gets credit for.
“Raw Footage” shows individual takes of various scenes. Listen to ‘My Cat’s Birthday’ and ‘Tit Butter’ for the director controlling the improvisation and feeding lines. “Injury Report” documents injuries to the cast. James Franco’s female fans will wince seeing him run into a tree twice during the forest scenes. Watch all the way to the end for some really nasty surprises.
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