30 Minutes or Less Review0

“30 Minutes or Less” is an action comedy about two criminals kidnapping a pizza delivery man, installing a bomb to his chest, and demanding him to rob a bank or they’ll blow him up.

Just like everybody else, I was very excited about this movie when they first announced it: a sharp and funny cast (Danny McBride, Jeese Eisenberg) and Ruben Fleischer directing (director of Zombieland). But after I read the reviews of this movie, I became skeptical. But I needed to see this myself. And I’m not surprised that the critics were brutal. But then again, they’re critics. They’re supposed to be brutal.

Yes, there are some disadvantages to “30 Minutes or Less.” First off, Aziz Ansari’s acting in this movie came off weak compared to his co-stars like Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, and Nick Swardson (not to mention the surprising cameo of Fred Ward). But it didn’t mean Aziz was, in any way, less comedic. He still brought his portion of comedic element into this film. Michael Diliberti, screenwriter for 30 Minutes or Less, did a good job for the most part. The characters he wrote out were very funny and likable but there was plenty of room to make this movie much funnier.
Ruben Fleischer’s direction in this film felt very fitting. His chemistry with Jesse Eisenberg is very golden (as it shows on the screen). He manages to squeeze in pretty shots. And after watching Zombieland, I don’t expect anything less of him.

Overall, the film is funny, ridiculous, well directed and adult-oriented (please, if you’re bringing your kids, especially your crying babies, it’s better if you wait for this on DVD). But there is the feeling that your wallet gets cheated if you paid to watch this full price. The movie has a lot of potential, but it doesn’t quite deliver, especially of those who follow the cast and crew religiously.

Rating: 2.5/5
How many times would I watch this again? Maybe 10-20 times in a lifetime.