Quick, witty '30 Minutes or Less' showcases action, comedy, Grand Rapids (review)

John Serba | By John Serba |
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on August 11, 2011 at 12:00 PM, updated August 11, 2011 at 2:22 PM
30 Minutes or LessAziz Ansari, left, and Jesse Eisenberg in a scene from "30 Minutes or Less," which was filmed last summer in Grand Rapids.

Hurry hurry. Go go go go go.

Be thankful for a movie such as “30 Minutes or Less.” It steps on the gas pedal and keeps the action and comedy crisp and snappy, clocking in at a brisk 83 minutes — a refreshing approach after sitting through too many pointlessly bloated “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Transformers” sequels, et al, that overstay their welcome inside the increasingly tight confines of our attention spans.

Looking objectively beyond the sometimes gritty, sometimes sanguine Grand Rapids backdrops (where the movie was made last summer) and multiple references to our big-small city, Ruben Fleischer is a skilled and stylish director, honing an absurdist story (that resembles a bizarre-but-true one) to its leanest, meanest form.

He intertwines parallel buddy narratives — two unsavory schemers and their two innocent victims — into an entertaining, if somewhat shallow, film that’s quick in wit and pace.

Fleischer reunites with his “Zombieland” star Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Nick, an unambitious pizza-delivery dude with a lead foot — if he doesn’t produce a pie to a paying customer in 30 minutes, it’s free. He takes a call from a pair of ne’er-do-well doofi, who kidnap him, chain a bomb-vest to his chest and force him to rob a bank for them in the next several hours, or else, you know, kablooey.

Perhaps out of loyalty, more likely inexplicably, and most probably for the sake of our funny bones, Nick talks lifelong buddy Chet (Aziz Ansari) into helping him with the stickup. Eisenberg and Ansari make for an enjoyably chemical straight-man/jokester combo, the former using his Oscar-nominated “Social Network”-honed dramatic strengths to convey Nick’s life-and-death panic, the latter using his stand-up comedy roots to improv several laugh-out-loud quips.

The aforementioned doofuses are played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. McBride is Hollywood’s go-to yukster for edgy, self-delusional loser types, and here, his character Dwayne dreams of killing his belligerent father (Fred Ward) for his lottery winnings and opening a groovy tanning salon that’s a front for a prostitution ring.

As the even dumber Travis, Swardson is in full sniveling lickspittle pushover mode, although there’s an element of naïve sweetness to the performance that’s almost endearing. Whether you’re amused by them is wholly dependent upon your tolerance for chubby, mulleted Juggalo thickskulls who think they’re way-awesome at martial arts.

Their scheme involves wearing ape masks, hiring a gangbanging Detroit hitman played by a scene-stealing Michael Pena, and tailing Nick to make sure he follows through with the heist. It’s a completely convolutimated plan that, of course, has unexpected complimications.

The dialogue throughout “30 Minutes or Less” suggests that Grand Rapidians are quite foul-mouthed, but we know the truth. The film’s un-P.C. elements are consistent, occasionally funny, but not pervasive or overwhelming, and unfortunately follow an onslaught of R-rated comedies on the summer slate, such as “The Hangover Part II,” “The Change-Up” and “Bad Teacher,” et al.

Coarse-comedy fatigue has me concerned how many people across the country will see the film, and therefore comprehend the G.R. glories of Taco Boy and the Sixth Street Bridge.

Frankly, Fleischer’s ticking-time-bomb pace is more Rapid than Grand, so don’t expect lingering shots of the skyline, or serious in-depth characterizations. Whether we care about Nick and Chet’s plight or are more interested in how and why and when they reach the finish line is the question.

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