Pineapple Sunday

Pineapple Express is not really gay, or homophobic either. But it is wicked homosocial.

I figure everyone knows all about this 2008 Seth Rogen/James Franco vehicle: Rogen witnesses a murder, and goes on the lam with his pot dealer Franco to keep from being rubbed out. There are complications: Rogen has a high-school age girlfriend. Franco has bubbe (grandmother). The murderer is Franco's supplier. Worst of all, Rogen doesn't really like Franco. He only pretends to like him because he has the weed.

The character arc is how Rogen learns to accept the friendship of his dealer. Which is heartwarming, since it is James Franco. But a weird life lesson.

There are two jokes in the film:

1. The guys are stoned.
2. The guys are doing something that looks gay

The whole gay thing kept putting me off. It really isn't homophobic: Sure there are cheap laughs, but the moral really is that it is ok for guys to be close - it's homosocial. In one scene, Danny McBride, the middleman who was tortured into betraying our guys, comes back to help them, because, "Bros before hos". But they aren't facing hos (I mean women). They are facing murderous drug dealers! OK, one is a policewoman (small but scary Rosie Perez), but still.

So, that's the joke, I guess. Danny McBride's character actually is gay - or at least he acts like Richard Simmons, bakes birthday cakes for his dead cat, and worked as a prostitute. Everybody is cool with that - there is no homophobia here. But maybe some misogyny.

I guess I'm overthinking this - it was pretty funny. I laughed a lot. It just gave me an uneasy feeling. Maybe it was intended to. But this homosocial thing - guys need to bond, no females needed - was weird in Knocked Up too. I guess it's Rogen's thing.

I did feel bad for McBride's cat though.