Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a down on his luck pizza delivery boy, who has been spinning his wheels since high school both physically and metaphorically. Wheeling about his in vintage early ‘90s 5.0 Mustang, Nick has to deliver pizza in guess what—30 minutes or less. Failure to complete delivery in time and the pie is on Nick.
On the other side of the rut, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and pal Travis (Nick Swardson) are piecing together a plan to knock-off Dwayne’s father (Fred Ward) and collect the remainder of his lottery winnings. The plan: hire a hitman (Michael Pena) for $100,000. We’ve heard this before this summer, but Dwayne and Nick go a step further. They order up a pizza, kidnap Nick and with a bomb vest force him to rob a bank to be able to pay for the hired gun. A convoluted scheme indeed.
Bomb armed, Nick seeks help from his BFF Chet (Aziz Ansari). Together they plot to rob the bank and in doing so form the protagonist duo. On paper, their quips may not scream Oscar consideration, but their chemistry and execution are second to none. So, if that statement is true then none would be McBride and Swardson who take up an equal stake in total run time and quality moments.
30 Minutes or Less does not mess around. With a lightning fast pace, director Reuben Fleischer (Zombieland) sets up the dueling pairs and puts the plot into action. Amazingly, these pieces don’t simply fall into place; they are hurled. The timed bomb plot device works yet again, because once underway 30 Minutes or Less doesn’t let up. Cutting back and forth from the equally inept pairings, there is never a sense that one is missing out on the fun.
Sure, $100k is a lot for a non-political hit, but these oversights are part of the fun, giving you an idea to the intelligence of the criminal masterminds. McBride also points out a plot convenience, and Eisenberg disses on Facebook. The self-aware nature of these and other jokes help 30 Minutes or Less ascend to regions more evolved than the target demo—the stoner crowd—is accustom. Still, the dialogue is laced with as much cursing as anything out there, a basic cable censorship nightmare.
30 Minutes or Less isn’t exactly treading new ground, but it delivers the laughs. Should you catch it, be sure to sit through the credits as there is an extensive scene that ties up the plot. ***½
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