How do you compare movies across genres? You might argue that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a better comedy than The King's Speech is a drama, but does that mean it is a better movie? It's really hard to say. I think comedies are the most difficult movies to gauge because you go into them with completely different expectations than, say, an Oscar nominated drama. For instance, I gave critically acclaimed Winter's Bone and dirty comedy Horrible Bosses both B+'s, but isn't it obvious Winter's Bone is a "better" movie? Well, I suppose it depends on what you're looking for.
Comedies are tricky because you really only expect one thing out of them and that is to laugh. So you ask yourself the question, "Is this movie funny?" and if it is, it is automatically more fulfilling than most other movies no matter how absurd or stupid the plot may be. Of course the really good comedies will give you something else; they'll surprise you with moments of tenderness or exceptionally sharp wit or cleverness. Or they are so exceptionally funny that tears stream down your cheeks.
Since most comedies are at least a little bit funny, it is easy to assume they have done their job and inflate their grades. I am probably a little easy on them, like the mindless action flick, to a fault. By the same token, I find that I am also particularly hard on even the really good ones because, well, they're just comedies, right? (It is very rare for me to give a comedy an A.) What ends up happening is an elevated floor and a glass ceiling to the grades so most comedies get bunched up in the middle.
All of this is just filler material of course as there really isn't anything notable to say about 30 Minutes or Less. It is an obviously stupid film, but it does get in its moments of laughs. By nature of its sheer retardation and pretty awful acting it automatically limits what grade is possible for it. I'm still not sure how I feel about Jesse Eisenberg; he was good in Zombieland and The Social Network but can he play anything else but the awkward slacker type? Aziz Ansari is a funny comedian, but he is not a great actor. I've never been a huge fan of Danny McBride; he has his hits but also a lot of misses.
If you want to dig a little deeper, this film does deal with issues of friendship. Two sets of friends, Eisenberg/Ansari and McBride/Swardson both bicker throughout the film but when the going gets tough, they pull through for each other.
Grade: C
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