30 Minutes or Less (2011)

In Grand Rapids, MI, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) has generally not lived up to his potential. He works as a pizza delivery man, and his only friend is schoolteacher Chet (Aziz Ansari); Nick is also secretly in love with Chet's sister. Meanwhile, Dwayne (Danny McBride) is fed up watching his lottery-winner father (Fred Ward) waste all his riches, and decides, along with his buddy (Nick Swardson), to hire a contact killer and take out the old man. To do this, they need money. So they conjure up a plan to kidnap a pizza delivery man, strap a bomb to his chest, and force him to rob a bank. Nick becomes the recipient, and calls on Chet for help. What follows is a crazy, reckless race against time. Will our heroes survive the day?

The violence, on the other hand, almost seems a bit displaced, especially the use of the bomb vest; it recalls all-too-serious images from the news. Regardless, the movie never stops being fast, funny, or crazy, and the combination of talent helps sell it. Eisenberg turns in a believably panicked performance, and he's nicely matched by stand-up comic Ansari. Even the bad guys show their humanity from time to time, and Fred Ward is a scream as the nasty old dad.