There are probably few people that wanted to love Pineapple Express as much as I did - the prospect of a stoner action comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco just sounded...magical. Sadly, the end result isn't quite as funny and thrilling as I'd hope - it's only, excuse the pun, half baked.

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) is a 25-year-old process server, who hates his job and whose main pleasure comes from toking up with his dealer, Saul Silver (James Franco), who sells very potent, very peculiar types of weed, such as the Pineapple Express, a strange smelling, exotic type. When going to serve a drug lord, Denton witnesses the drug lord murder a man, and in his panic, drops a joint roach at the scene of the crime, and given how rare the strain is, the bad guys are soon on his tail.

It's a great concept, but sadly, there's just not much bite here - it's a lot like being in a room where everyone else is high and they're not passing the joint. It's just not that funny, and the action at times is quite startling. I'm not squeamish at all, but the violence at times seems very disingenuous and self-serious, and not at all within the tone of the comedy. It seems as though Rogen just wanted to make a Hot Fuzz-esque action film, and has come up with a very strange, mixed result. It's a shame, because Rogen, and in particular Franco, are sublime performers, and after looking at Franco, you just want to take a shower.

The latest offering from the Apatow family is well performed by all, but regrettably lacking in big laughs. Moreover, the violence feels rather insincere and not played for laughs as much as it should be. An ostensible disappointment.