30 Minutes or Less

Dir: Ruben Fleischer

2011

**

I rather liked the idea behind 2011’s 30 Minutes or Less, the story of an underachieving Pizza delivery driver (hence the title) who finds himself kidnapped and bribed into robbing a bank by a couple of spoiled grown men who want the money to open a tanning salon that would be a front for a brothel. Little did the writers know (or at least so they say – only admitting they may have been ‘aware of it’), that back in Aug 2003, Pizza delivery driver Brian Douglas Wells entered a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania with a bomb around his neck. He had similar motives than that of the main character in 30 Minutes or Less, with the film’s other characters strongly resembling real life people involved with the case. However, main character Nick is nothing like Brian Douglas Wells. This is a shame, as I think a film closer to the truth might have had a lot more going for it. I loved the idea but I hated the script. The humour is appalling and unfortunately low-brow. The film starts with an incredibly irritating argument between Nick and his best mate/roommate Chet, played by Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari respectively that almost made me switch it off. I’m not the world’s biggest Jesse Eisenberg fan I have to admit, I think he has found better suited roles since 2011 but his earlier work leaves me a bit cold. He’s not that bad here, it’s just that I can think of a hundred or so other actors who would have been better. I didn’t think much of Aziz Ansari’s character either and the dialogue between the two was generally horrible, which didn’t convince me that they were the best friends they were supposed to be. I also didn’t think much of Danny McBride, although he was perfect for the role in many respects. A film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride is a film I would generally avoid – and have done – until giving it a go once it came on the telly one night. However, it’s better than expected, with a rather rewarding conclusion, let down by a terrible script. Nick Swardson is the film’s main redeeming feature and I enjoyed Michael Pina’s small role but I think Fred Ward’s appearance was criminally wasted. It a confusing one really, as the film starts off as a crap teen comedy, wanders into the sort of thing you’d expect from a Will Ferrell movie and ends its last five minutes like a classic cult crime film from the 70s. It feels like it was directed by two different people, one with huge talent and enthusiasm, and the other uninterested in the project and simply on the studio payroll. The alternative ending that wasn’t used sounds rather happy and very Hollywood, so the best thing the film does is to scrap it and go with the moody, rather chilling conclusion. Overall, it is a brilliant idea squandered, with inappropriate humour and a poorly suited cast.