30 Minutes or Less

I heard mixed reviews about this film, but that did not deter me from paying to see it anyway. It just looked too funny to miss, and though some naysayers said all the funny parts were in the trailers, I had to see for myself, and I will say nay to these naysayers. There were plenty of funny parts never before seen by the American Television watcher. The funny stuff was present, but the acting was brilliant, but more than those two aspects were the references. Many of you know, one of my favorite things in cinema are the abundance of movie references some films use. This shows me that the characters are like me. I can have entire conversations based on movie quotes, or what I have learned from the movies. Nick (Eisenberg) and Chet (Ansari) are Best friends who are leading very different lives. Nick is a pizza delivery boy who likes to get high, and Chet has turned substitute teaching into a career. We get a very clear picture of their friendship early, but within minutes of that, they have a falling out. This is huge with story development. We all should know the basic premise from what we have seen. Nick is forced to rob a bank by two goons, Dwayne (McBride) and Travis (Swordsman), who strap a home made explosive device to him. What we are unclear about is the why. The "why" is very funny and involves Dwayne's daddy who is played by the always appreciated Fred Ward. Dwayne and Travis are a conundrum to this movie, because I don't know how they were written in. Were they supposed to be the funniest comedy, or were they supposed to be more serious with a lot of idiocy? Either way, I will tell you that as they were funny in an over the top idiotic way. However, Nick and Chet - Chet mostly - were the funnier of the duo's. However again, the funniest person in the entire film was very shocking to me. It was Chango, who was played to comedy perfection by Michael Pen`a, who is more known for his serious roles in "Crash" and "Shooter". He is hilarious as the Hispanic gangster/hitman. The opening scene where we see how stressful is can be to deliver a pizza in 30 minutes or less is superbly shot. Nick is hauling ass in his POS mustang. The only redeeming quality of the car is the 5.0 engine it sports. He has total disregard for traffic laws, and its fun to watch. Apparently his high octane job lend hand to his getaway driving skills later on. With a 10 hour time limit to get Dwayne and Travis the money they have asked for, he must take drastic measures. Chet reluctantly agrees to help him and hilarity ensues. It has the funniest bank robbery of all time in film - even funnier than Trapped in Paradise. Among the references we get to enjoy are "Point Break", "John McClane", and the video game "Contra" - which without giving anything away, I will say that was one of the funniest lines of the entire film. It really is a rush of a film. At only 83 minutes long, it never slows down, and I am glad it was that short. It left out nothing, but also didn't need anymore film to enhance it. I enjoyed this film as I though I would. It did not exceed my expectations, but it also did not fall short of them. I will watch it again when releases to video, as should all of you.

NBM rates 30 Minutes or Less - A Solid Awesome