Python Hyena 30 Minutes Or Less (2011): Dir: Ruben Fleischer / Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, Fred Ward: The title represents the fact that the character Jesse Eisenberg portrays works at a pizza parlour. Other than that it symbolizes nothing. In order to afford a hit-man to shoot his father so to reap profits from the will, two morons strap a bomb to Eisenberg forcing him to rob a bank and bring them the cash. The chief problem with this film is how nobody uses their brain. Does Eisenberg have to carry this out or are there countless opportunities to expose it? Would a logical best friend go along with the robbery or would he find any number of solutions that viewers will likely come up with? The film is directed by Ruben Fleischer whose Zombieland is far more ambitious but he manages a few well done action scenes here. The film has good casting but tremendously bad payoff. Why Eisenberg went from The Social Network to this is a reduction at best. Ansari plays his best friend who is a school teacher, and he isn't pleased that Eisenberg banged his sister. The payoff is that their scheme ultimately fails. Danny McBride and Nick Swardson as the criminals are equally stupid but their payoff is delivered in failure as well. The fact that the scheme fails renders this unpredictable in its one effective plot point. Fred Ward is also a waste as their abrasive father who will not go down as father of the year. This is definitely no Zombieland but it is a well made comedy that pointlessly goes absent minded in terms of logic long before it hits the 30 minute mark. Score: 4 / 10

cosizzle I had no idea what to expect, and found myself laughing immediately. The honest (and crude of course) conflict between the two heroes was the driving force in this movie. You knew they would eventually be friends again. As for the anti-hero, his parallel conflict with his buddy was just as entertaining. The stupidity of their criminal minds was unexpected at every turn (just when you thought he was stupid, he outdid himself). The former Marine dad was a funny addition. Anyway, I see a lot of negative reviews and found that they were missing the intent of the film, that is, to entertain and keep you in suspense while keeping you laughing at the idiocy of it all.

MisterWhiplash The second feature film from Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer (but not the same film's writers) is ostensibly an "original" comedy, but borrows heavily from the true case of a pizza delivery guy who got kidnapped by two crooks, strapped with a bomb and forced to go and rob a bank. In his case it was not a comedy at all, and the guy did die (the bomb was also strapped to his head, kind of a different and more f***ed-up scenario this film wouldn't touch even if it could try). But for Fleischer and company, who needs to make it all dramatic? Or even make much sense in terms of plot? The movie carries its moments, mostly through improvisation (or what would appear to be just going off on small tangents by actors like Danny McBride and Jesse Eisenberg, the latter the pizza guy who gets the bomb strapped to him by McBride and his co-hort). And there were even those few moments where I found myself laughing hard at the actors' repore, especially when Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari get into a good groove riffing off each other about, say, their foolishness in messing each other's respective ex-girlfriends and/or sisters. And the actual bank robbery carries some real thrills (if capped by a mediocre car chase aided by some weak 80's car-chase parody).Ultimately I couldn't get over how needlessly complicated the plot was in McBride's plot to knock off his father, played by Fred Ward (who actually steals his scenes completely as a crazed ex-Major who won the lottery), as a plot to make millions comes down to a pizza delivery boy. Perhaps if Elmore Leonard was brought in for a rewrite it could've been made brilliant.As it stands it's a stupid story perked up by a stupid series of comic-suspense set-pieces as Eisenberg and Anzari prepare for the robbery. For some the crazy hijinks will be enough. For me, it could have done a lot more, despite the principal cast members doing their best to bring it up to something better.

jfgibson73 I watched this movie because I wanted to check if I just automatically like anything Danny McBride does. Turns out he plays it kind of straightforward in this one. He doesn't say all the crazy stuff he usually throws out there. Same for the movie: it looks like it's going to be totally nuts, but takes things surprisingly serious for a lot of the time. Turned out to be enjoyable enough to pass the time, nothing in the writing or performances that bothered me. Even Nick Seward was tolerable. But I don't expect to watch it again. I do hope Dilshad Vadsaria gets some more roles out of this, because she looked amazing. I'll still watch anything with Danny, but as far as the writer, director, and all the other performers...meh.