Reviews of this movie are all over the spectrum, and this one is another addition to that fuzzy middle ground area. I read another moviegoer's (somewhat pretentious) thoughts on it, and was more than a little offended by this quote: "this is the kind of movie enjoyed by the idiots who went home at watched Jersey Shore afterward..." (I probably paraphrased a bit, but you get the gist). I'll have you know, person I can't remember, that I wouldn't be caught dead watching that show on purpose, ever. That said, I did (for the most part) really enjoy 30 Minutes or Less. So either I'm about a closeted tanning/fist pump enthusiast, or your comparison doesn't add up.
Here's what I think this particular reviewer, and probably the other critics who panned the film, was bothered by: this isn't Citizen Kane. It isn't Oscar bait and it isn't even really a sophisticated or deftly scripted movie. It's a summer movie in every sense of the phrase: easy to follow, relatively lighthearted (despite the whole bomb scare), and filled with explosions and raunchy humor. If you go into it as I did with the expectation that this type of movie is exactly what you're going to get, there is no need to be offended by the overall lack of class or craftsmanship. If you can refocus your critical eye for the ninety minutes or so it takes to watch 30 Minutes or Less, you'll find that its charm lies in the humorous tone and the performances of its lead actors, Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari.
Whoever cast these two together is a genius, because it's a pair I would never have put together in my own head, and yet it works so well. Eisenberg shows he can put his considerable acting talent to use effectively even in an at times dopey buddy comedy, and Ansari proves what I've known all along, that not only is he hilarious but he is also more than capable of carrying a major role in a film. Ansari's antics were for me a definite highlight of the movie, and I think that is definitely a testament to his talent as well as his off screen personality-- he has stated that a lot of improvisation happened during the shooting of 30 Minutes or Less, and it is perhaps this that had me thinking as I watched the movie that this was exactly how Aziz Ansari the actor/comedian would handle himself in this very situation. This may sound like a flaw, and in a more complex film it probably would be, but in this one it works perfectly.
My only complaint about the film really is that I wish we could have gotten even more of the Eisenberg/Ansari antics, and considerably less of the crass and often unfunny Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. I get that there is certainly a demographic who would appreciate the appeal of this duo over the other, but I think it's probably that demographic who are making people who enjoyed this film look like idiots. McBride seems to favor the loud, obnoxious strain of comedy of which I personally am not very fond, and so his character didn't seem very believable or redeemable in any way. Yes, he was the villain, but even some truly terrible movies have put forth a villain who is at the very least interesting to watch.
To sum up: see this film (maybe a matinee), but leave most of your discernment at the door and allow yourself to enjoy the sheer absurdity of the scenario, as well as the neat way it resolves itself in under two hours. Perhaps Eisenberg and Ansari will charm you (as they did me) into forgetting the less than stellar writing and plot that would be a death sentence for a film released almost any other time of the year.
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