30 Minutes or Less
Encyclopedia
30 Minutes or Less is a 2011 American action comedy crime film
directed by Ruben Fleischer
starring Jesse Eisenberg
, Aziz Ansari
, Danny McBride and Nick Swardson
. It is produced by Columbia Pictures
and funded by Media Rights Capital
.
) is a slacking pizza delivery driver who has trouble completing the "30 Minutes or Less" policy that his employers issue, leading to a reprimand from his boss (Brett Gelman
). Nick's friend Chet (Aziz Ansari
), a school teacher, discovers that Nick has slept with, and still has feelings for, Chet's twin sister Kate (Dilshad Vadsaria
). It is also revealed that Chet was the reason Nick's parents divorced. After a heated argument, the two end their friendship.
Meanwhile, two delinquents, Dwayne (Danny McBride
) and Travis (Nick Swardson
) are miserable living under the shadow of Dwayne's domineering father (Fred Ward
). Dwayne confides in a stripper, Juici (Bianca Kajlich
), about his contempt for his dad, who is squandering the money that he won playing the lottery. Juici says she can hire an assassin to kill Dwayne's dad for $100,000 so Dwayne can collect the inheritance. Dwayne plots that they kidnap a complete stranger and force him to rob a bank for the hit money by strapping a bomb to his chest. After seeing an advertisement for the pizzeria that Nick works at, they order a pizza and wait for the driver to come to their hideout. When Nick arrives, Dwayne and Travis assault him and knock him unconscious.
When Nick wakes up, he finds a vest rigged with explosives strapped and buckled onto his torso. Dwayne and Travis, wearing masks, tell him his situation: if he does not rob a bank in ten hours, they will detonate the bomb. Going to the police will also result in them detonating the bomb, as they will be monitoring him most of the time. Nick, in his panic, goes to a school where Chet is working and desperately pleads with him to help. After plans to deactivate or remove the bomb are dashed, Chet says he has no choice but to rob the bank. Still uneasy, Nick asks Chet to assist him. Chet reluctantly agrees.
After purchasing supplies for the robbery, Nick suggests stealing Chet's family friend's car so that the police will be unable to track the license plate number of Nick's own car. Nick then stops by his workplace to tell off his boss and to go see Kate and say some final words to her. Nick and Chet later arrive at the bank, hold it up, and obtain the money. However, an employee pulls the alarm, forcing Nick and Chet to flee. After a car chase that ends up with Nick and Chet crashing their car, the two successfully evade capture by sneaking onto a bus. Nick calls Dwayne and tells him he has the money. Dwayne says he and Travis will meet him at an abandoned railyard to make the exchange. Dwayne and Travis go to a restaurant instead. When Dwayne asks Travis to possibly be the one to detonate the bomb if the time comes, Travis starts to become unsettled.
After getting his old car, Nick waits for Dwayne and Travis at the railyard while Chet hides somewhere to avoid a confrontation about his involvement in the scheme. Instead of Dwayne or Travis, however, Juici and the assassin, Chongo (Michael Peña
), are the ones who arrive to pick up the money. Nick hands Chongo the money and expects Chongo to give him the code which will deactivate the bomb. Chongo claims he doesn't know what the code is. When Nick keeps asking him for the code, Chongo gets aggravated and holds Nick at gunpoint. Chet runs in and beats Chongo while Nick incapacitates Juici. The two grab the money and escape.
Dwayne ends up getting two phone calls: one from Chongo calling to let Dwayne know that because of Chet's ambush, he will be killing Dwayne also. The second is from Nick, who berates Dwayne for not giving Chongo the code to the bomb and dares him to detonate the bomb with the money at his side. Overly frustrated by these turn of events, Dwayne activates the speed dial number on his phone for the bomb to explode, but finds that Travis altered the numbers while Dwayne wasn't looking because he was getting nervous about Dwayne's gradually violent attitude. The two head back to Kate's apartment and kidnap her. Dwayne calls Nick to let him know that he has Kate and if he doesn't meet at the scrapyard to give him the money, he'll kill her. Meanwhile, Chongo breaks into Dwayne's dad's house to find information regarding Dwayne's location and finds a hand drawn map to the scrapyard. While there, Dwayne's father attacks him and is shot after a struggle.
Nick arrives at the scrapyard and exchanges the money for Kate. Dwayne also gives Nick the code to deactivate and unbuckle the bomb with minutes to spare. Dwayne then tells Nick to walk away, but Nick deduces that as soon as Nick and Kate turn around, they will just kill them both. Dwayne confirms this by pointing a gun at them while Travis comes out wielding a flamethrower. Nick says he hired a sniper in case this were to happen. This is proved to be fake as it is only Chet who's using a laser pointer, but it's enough to fool Dwayne and Travis into lowering their weapons. Chongo arrives shortly after to kill Dwayne. Travis responds by torching Chongo with the flamethrower. Although burning to death, Chongo manages to shoot Dwayne and shoot the fuel tank for the flamethrower, causing it to explode on Travis's back. In the confusion, Nick grabs the money and drives away with Chet and Kate. Dwayne, still alive, reconciles with Travis then catches up to the others with his van, but he hears a beeping sound in the back, and the van explodes. Nick reveals that as he grabbed the money, he reactivated the bomb and threw it in the back of the van. Now free with the money in their possession, the three drive off discussing what to do with their newly acquired windfall, but discover that the money has been rigged with blue dye, rendering it useless.
After the credits showed that Dwayne and his father had survived and Dwayne had started his tanning salon business.
from July to September 2010; and a bank robbery scene was filmed at the vacant Ludington State Bank building—most recently a Fifth Third Bank
—on James St. in Ludington, Michigan
. The film's screenplay was written by Matthew Sullivan and Michael Diliberti, and the film was produced by Ben Stiller
, through his production company, Red Hour Films
. The film was released on August 12, 2011.
, Nick Swardson
, Michael Peña
and director Ruben Fleischer
.
was more favorable: "With [Fleischer and Eisenberg] involved, you figure it’s going to be impossible for this movie to live up to the marketing’s hype. While not the best work from either, [it's] still an enjoyably vulgar romp." Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 44% of 148 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.3 out of 10. The site's consensus is, "It's sporadically funny and it benefits from a talented cast, but 30 Minutes or Less suffers from a disjointed narrative, and too often mistakes crude gags for true lowbrow humor". On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 49 based on 37 reviews.
The film grossed an estimated $13 million in its first weekend, below studio expectations but not a loss due to the film's relatively low budget. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 29th, 2011 with Our Idiot Brother.
It was released on 16 September, 2011 in the United Kingdom.
with a bomb strapped to his neck. As police approached Wells, the bomb detonated, killing him. Wells had similar motives and was surrounded with people who strongly resemble characters depicted in the motion picture. Despite the similarities to the case, the cast and filmmakers claimed to have had no prior knowledge of the incident, although the screenwriters have admitted to being "vaguely aware" of it.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
directed by Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer is an American film director, advertisement/copy writer, and music video director. He is currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed and financially successful Zombieland, his first feature film. He followed it by making 30 Minutes...
starring Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
, Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
, Danny McBride and Nick Swardson
Nick Swardson
Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
. It is produced by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and funded by Media Rights Capital
Media Rights Capital
Media Rights Capital II LP is an independent film, television and digital studio founded by Mordecai Wiczyk and Asif Satchu. MRC specializes in the creation of premium content. It has full in-house physical production, legal, finance and sales teams, and a complete marketing infrastructure...
.
Plot
Nick (Jesse EisenbergJesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
) is a slacking pizza delivery driver who has trouble completing the "30 Minutes or Less" policy that his employers issue, leading to a reprimand from his boss (Brett Gelman
Brett Gelman
Brett Gelman is an American actor and comedian known for his appearances in the HBO comedy programs Funny or Die Presents and The Life & Times of Tim. He currently co-stars alongside Chris Elliott in the Adult Swim series Eagleheart.-Life and career:Gelman was born and raised in Highland Park,...
). Nick's friend Chet (Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
), a school teacher, discovers that Nick has slept with, and still has feelings for, Chet's twin sister Kate (Dilshad Vadsaria
Dilshad Vadsaria
Dilshad Vadsaria is an American television actress. She plays the role of Rebecca Logan on the ABC television program Greek.-Life and career:...
). It is also revealed that Chet was the reason Nick's parents divorced. After a heated argument, the two end their friendship.
Meanwhile, two delinquents, Dwayne (Danny McBride
Danny McBride
Danny McBride is an American actor and screenwriter. McBride is best-known for co-writing the Underworld film series.- External links :...
) and Travis (Nick Swardson
Nick Swardson
Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
) are miserable living under the shadow of Dwayne's domineering father (Fred Ward
Fred Ward
Freddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
). Dwayne confides in a stripper, Juici (Bianca Kajlich
Bianca Kajlich
Bianca Maria Kajlich is an American actress. Kajlich has had starring and supporting roles in television and film; she currently plays Jennifer on the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement.-Early life:...
), about his contempt for his dad, who is squandering the money that he won playing the lottery. Juici says she can hire an assassin to kill Dwayne's dad for $100,000 so Dwayne can collect the inheritance. Dwayne plots that they kidnap a complete stranger and force him to rob a bank for the hit money by strapping a bomb to his chest. After seeing an advertisement for the pizzeria that Nick works at, they order a pizza and wait for the driver to come to their hideout. When Nick arrives, Dwayne and Travis assault him and knock him unconscious.
When Nick wakes up, he finds a vest rigged with explosives strapped and buckled onto his torso. Dwayne and Travis, wearing masks, tell him his situation: if he does not rob a bank in ten hours, they will detonate the bomb. Going to the police will also result in them detonating the bomb, as they will be monitoring him most of the time. Nick, in his panic, goes to a school where Chet is working and desperately pleads with him to help. After plans to deactivate or remove the bomb are dashed, Chet says he has no choice but to rob the bank. Still uneasy, Nick asks Chet to assist him. Chet reluctantly agrees.
After purchasing supplies for the robbery, Nick suggests stealing Chet's family friend's car so that the police will be unable to track the license plate number of Nick's own car. Nick then stops by his workplace to tell off his boss and to go see Kate and say some final words to her. Nick and Chet later arrive at the bank, hold it up, and obtain the money. However, an employee pulls the alarm, forcing Nick and Chet to flee. After a car chase that ends up with Nick and Chet crashing their car, the two successfully evade capture by sneaking onto a bus. Nick calls Dwayne and tells him he has the money. Dwayne says he and Travis will meet him at an abandoned railyard to make the exchange. Dwayne and Travis go to a restaurant instead. When Dwayne asks Travis to possibly be the one to detonate the bomb if the time comes, Travis starts to become unsettled.
After getting his old car, Nick waits for Dwayne and Travis at the railyard while Chet hides somewhere to avoid a confrontation about his involvement in the scheme. Instead of Dwayne or Travis, however, Juici and the assassin, Chongo (Michael Peña
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
), are the ones who arrive to pick up the money. Nick hands Chongo the money and expects Chongo to give him the code which will deactivate the bomb. Chongo claims he doesn't know what the code is. When Nick keeps asking him for the code, Chongo gets aggravated and holds Nick at gunpoint. Chet runs in and beats Chongo while Nick incapacitates Juici. The two grab the money and escape.
Dwayne ends up getting two phone calls: one from Chongo calling to let Dwayne know that because of Chet's ambush, he will be killing Dwayne also. The second is from Nick, who berates Dwayne for not giving Chongo the code to the bomb and dares him to detonate the bomb with the money at his side. Overly frustrated by these turn of events, Dwayne activates the speed dial number on his phone for the bomb to explode, but finds that Travis altered the numbers while Dwayne wasn't looking because he was getting nervous about Dwayne's gradually violent attitude. The two head back to Kate's apartment and kidnap her. Dwayne calls Nick to let him know that he has Kate and if he doesn't meet at the scrapyard to give him the money, he'll kill her. Meanwhile, Chongo breaks into Dwayne's dad's house to find information regarding Dwayne's location and finds a hand drawn map to the scrapyard. While there, Dwayne's father attacks him and is shot after a struggle.
Nick arrives at the scrapyard and exchanges the money for Kate. Dwayne also gives Nick the code to deactivate and unbuckle the bomb with minutes to spare. Dwayne then tells Nick to walk away, but Nick deduces that as soon as Nick and Kate turn around, they will just kill them both. Dwayne confirms this by pointing a gun at them while Travis comes out wielding a flamethrower. Nick says he hired a sniper in case this were to happen. This is proved to be fake as it is only Chet who's using a laser pointer, but it's enough to fool Dwayne and Travis into lowering their weapons. Chongo arrives shortly after to kill Dwayne. Travis responds by torching Chongo with the flamethrower. Although burning to death, Chongo manages to shoot Dwayne and shoot the fuel tank for the flamethrower, causing it to explode on Travis's back. In the confusion, Nick grabs the money and drives away with Chet and Kate. Dwayne, still alive, reconciles with Travis then catches up to the others with his van, but he hears a beeping sound in the back, and the van explodes. Nick reveals that as he grabbed the money, he reactivated the bomb and threw it in the back of the van. Now free with the money in their possession, the three drive off discussing what to do with their newly acquired windfall, but discover that the money has been rigged with blue dye, rendering it useless.
After the credits showed that Dwayne and his father had survived and Dwayne had started his tanning salon business.
Cast
- Jesse EisenbergJesse EisenbergJesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
as Nick - Danny McBride as Dwayne
- Aziz AnsariAziz AnsariAziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
as Chet - Nick SwardsonNick SwardsonNicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
as Travis - Michael PeñaMichael PeñaMichael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
as Chongo - Fred WardFred WardFreddie Joe "Fred" Ward is an American actor. He began his career in 1979 alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. He is best known for his starring roles in the motion pictures Remo Williams, Tremors, Henry & June, Short Cuts, The Right Stuff and Exit Speed...
as The Major, Dwayne's father - Dilshad VadsariaDilshad VadsariaDilshad Vadsaria is an American television actress. She plays the role of Rebecca Logan on the ABC television program Greek.-Life and career:...
as Kate, Chet's twin sister - Mya Rajah as Amelia
- Bianca KajlichBianca KajlichBianca Maria Kajlich is an American actress. Kajlich has had starring and supporting roles in television and film; she currently plays Jennifer on the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement.-Early life:...
as Juici - Brett GelmanBrett GelmanBrett Gelman is an American actor and comedian known for his appearances in the HBO comedy programs Funny or Die Presents and The Life & Times of Tim. He currently co-stars alongside Chris Elliott in the Adult Swim series Eagleheart.-Life and career:Gelman was born and raised in Highland Park,...
as Nick's Boss
Production
Filming took place in Grand Rapids, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from July to September 2010; and a bank robbery scene was filmed at the vacant Ludington State Bank building—most recently a Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....
—on James St. in Ludington, Michigan
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
. The film's screenplay was written by Matthew Sullivan and Michael Diliberti, and the film was produced by Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
, through his production company, Red Hour Films
Red Hour Productions
Red Hour Films is an American motion picture production and distribution company. Ben Stiller and producer Stuart Cornfeld run the company. The name was derived from an episode of Star Trek -- The Return of the Archons -- that features a scheduled, alien riot...
. The film was released on August 12, 2011.
Promotion
A screening of the film took place at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con with actors Aziz AnsariAziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
, Nick Swardson
Nick Swardson
Nicholas Roger "Nick" Swardson is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Terry Bernardino in the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, for his work in Happy Madison films, most notably the 2011 film Just Go With It, and for his new Comedy Central...
, Michael Peña
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
and director Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer is an American film director, advertisement/copy writer, and music video director. He is currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed and financially successful Zombieland, his first feature film. He followed it by making 30 Minutes...
.
Reception
30 Minutes or Less has received mixed reviews from critics. N Pfeifer from FleshEatingZipperFleshEatingZipper
FleshEatingZipper is an editorial and news website focusing on video gaming, the entertainment industry, and technology. The site was founded in January 2011 and quickly gained attention following their coverage of the Phoenix Comicon...
was more favorable: "With [Fleischer and Eisenberg] involved, you figure it’s going to be impossible for this movie to live up to the marketing’s hype. While not the best work from either, [it's] still an enjoyably vulgar romp." Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 44% of 148 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.3 out of 10. The site's consensus is, "It's sporadically funny and it benefits from a talented cast, but 30 Minutes or Less suffers from a disjointed narrative, and too often mistakes crude gags for true lowbrow humor". On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 49 based on 37 reviews.
The film grossed an estimated $13 million in its first weekend, below studio expectations but not a loss due to the film's relatively low budget. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 29th, 2011 with Our Idiot Brother.
It was released on 16 September, 2011 in the United Kingdom.
Similarity to real-life event
The plot of the film bears a striking resemblance to a real-life bank heist gone wrong. On August 28th, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells entered a bank in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
with a bomb strapped to his neck. As police approached Wells, the bomb detonated, killing him. Wells had similar motives and was surrounded with people who strongly resemble characters depicted in the motion picture. Despite the similarities to the case, the cast and filmmakers claimed to have had no prior knowledge of the incident, although the screenwriters have admitted to being "vaguely aware" of it.