Marketers across the world fantasize that one day they may pitch their product successfully enough for it to be assimilated into a culture. For a filmmaker, it is the purpose and goal of perhaps their whole career to at least broaden the views of the audience, and at the most, an entire culture’s opinion on a topic. Whether or not it is the intention, films will still influence the minds that watch them. To the untrained mind, a movie is just an alternate reality and whatever takes place as the reel spins is easily applicable to real life. If it is direct enough, the message of a film can cause people to consciously and deliberately rethink their opinions. Films are directed, discussed, marketed, edited, reshot, amended, and prescreened before release, which tentatively allows a director to perfect the message they wish to convey. As a result, films can be used as ideological weapons; they can be fashioned to harbor the exact message desired, aimed towards the precise audience intended, and reengineered as seen fit just so that the millions of viewers to watch a film will deliberate what the filmmakers choose to show. From the right hands, films can create impressive waves of free thought and reconsideration. In the case of exposing topics normally suffocated by lack of attention, filmmakers commonly use taboos as central themes within their movies in order to familiarize the viewers to that which they normally avoid. This paper will explore one aspect of culture – namely, taboos – and how films utilize them in order to catalyze a change in what a culture deems acceptable. To illustrate the point, this paper will focus on the David Gordon Green film Pineapple Express (2008).
Taboos are any topics unacceptable to discuss or behaviors unfit for performance that would result in shame, judicial action or otherwise embarrassment. They range from unforgiveable taboos such as pedophilia or incest, to lesser evils such as picking one’s nose or kissing a member of the same sex on the lips in public. The basic principle behind the use of taboos in film is that to understand something is to render it harmless. People normally respond to that which they do not understand with fear or assumptions, eventually coming to believe quite fervently what they themselves have falsely imagined. This causes much strife between the true nature of the topic and the mistaken mind. By truly taking time and understanding something, there is no need to complete the inaccurate concept with whatever one’s mind may choose to patch it with, be it fear, anger, repulsion, or discomfort. Filmmakers can center their films on taboos, and by developing an entire story upon them it is possible to enlighten the viewers through example and personal connection. The taboo is effectively denatured, the biases can be reexamined, and the story can be appreciated that much more. Such is the case in Brokeback Mountain (2005) with homosexuality, The Yacoubian Building (2006) with police violence and homosexuality, and Pineapple Express with marijuana use. Viewers focus less on the stigma of the taboo and more on the humanity of the situation; many times the reason for such misunderstanding is simply because one side has forgotten that the other side is human as well.
Despite zero recorded deaths throughout recorded history traceable solely to marijuana use, a lack of evidence that marijuana causes any cancer and plenty of studies that would suggest that it may even fight cancerous growth, the fact that industrial hemp is a better fiber in nearly every way compared to cotton, and the countless opportunities for personal discovery and spiritual growth the high offers, society still refuses to consider the possibility the plant is harmless. Films that focus on the use of marijuana are not new at all, but Pineapple Express was created to look professional and mature in an attempt to familiarize society with the idea of a functional and dynamic stoner. Ironically, people are apprehensive to watch a movie about smoking pot or with much nudity, but American audiences flock to see movies depicting grotesque violence and gore. While talking about another of his movies, Seth Rogan says, “To me it's a mystery that you can show these horrific things [referring to the movie Hostel], but not some sexual stuff which everyone does (Murray 3)." It was not this way twenty years ago, so plainly it is all a matter of getting used to what was previously taboo. When people watch Pineapple Express, because of the believability and quality of the film they can connect to the movie and appreciate it. In this way, people can become more comfortable and open to the idea of marijuana as an indulgence as opposed to a felonious dependence. It is the same reason people grow more comfortable and open to watching disgusting gore scenes such as those found in any of the Saw series. Saw has an intriguing storyline that effectively mirrors the hypocrisy and transparency of society, so it is exciting to watch despite the graphic portrayals. If the movie were unbelievable, written poorly, or unentertaining, it would not be nearly as effective in l
ightening people up enough to have them reconsider their tolerances. By writing Pineapple Express as a comedy, the message is not impaired at all and perhaps because the classical image of a pot smoker is a goofy and amusing one, a comedic movie is more effective in delivering a positive message to the audience.
While standing behind a building after the first fight scene at Red’s house, Dale starts to argue with Saul about smoking so much weed. He says that every time something goes wrong, it is because they had been smoking pot. He claims that weed has caused all of their problems, but both the audience and Saul know that it is not entirely true. Weed has certainly allowed many of the conflicts to develop, but not because it is itself a negative substance. In the beginning of the plotline, Dale threw a half finished joint out of the window when he witnessed Ted Jones murdering a Chinese dealer. Jones picked up on Dale’s trail when he puffed on it to find that it was his own rare marijuana, sold only to one other person in the city. Dale and Saul were then traced and followed through the dealer that sold that unique strain of marijuana to them. Marijuana itself had nothing to do with the initial conflict; if an I.D. had been thrown instead, the story would have progressed just as smoothly. The marijuana is just a plot device for the story, but the film employs it for its own purpose of reintroducing it to society as acceptable. From there, the audience sees the eventual breakdown and repair of the friendship once Dale understands it is indeed his problem and his alone. He apologizes to his girlfriend while in a park crying on a payphone, and then to Saul for being an awful friend when they are eventually captured. When characters break down and weep, it becomes easier to empathize with them on a personal level. It is easy to place oneself in Dale’s shoes. Audiences see that it was his actions and inability to come to terms with the fact that he is good friends with a dealer rather than the marijuana itself that caused the schism. Dale does take responsibility for his actions, and he is not shown smoking again until the end of the movie, after the conflict is resolved.
The act of watching a movie is also a highly interactive one. Viewers do not just observe the story with detachment; they are actively considering the situation, comparing it with their own values, contemplating what they would be doing in the same situation, and connecting to the characters. A good movie allows us to put a piece of ourselves in it and believe that we too could be the characters. Our minds subconsciously take in the colors of a scene or the feel of the musical score in order to produce the feelings we experience. It is an accepted concept in psychology that colors can affect our moods and perceptions (Van Wagner). Because of this, mise-en-scène is vital to the presentation of a message. Pineapple Express also uses all of the modern cuts and editing techniques to conserve continuity so that it always contributes to the value of a scene. In this way, Pineapple Express is a good film. Because it is so aesthetically pleasant and continuous, it is easy to become part of the story and lose oneself in it.
The lighting in both Saul’s and Red’s apartment is warm and active. There are always colorful pictures, cool orange lighting, darker carpets and soft lighting flowing from the shuttered windows. The houses are also clean and well kept; this is to show that the two stoners still manage their personal lives well. In these warmly lit environments there is pot smoking, entertaining dialogue and story progression. The outside shots incorporate graffiti to add colors, greenery to cool the scenes and full moon lighting to provide a calm atmosphere. In the scene where Dale and Saul sell to a group of high school kids and smoke with them behind a garage, everyone is laughing, joking, and dancing. There is a graffiti mural behind them, Reggae music playing, and close-ups of laughing faces overlaid atop the scene to give it an upbeat and relaxed feel. In contrast, the lighting grows intense and stark while inside the prim and upscale house of Angie Robinson, Dale’s girlfriend. This is the scene where Dale enters late to a dinner and Angie’s parents become enraged when they find that Dale is high. To quote Mrs. Robinson, “You are high as a [expletive] kite!”(Whadu). By this time in the movie, the reaction is highly comedic because the audience has already become accustomed to the fact that Dale is perpetually high. It is one of the first times viewers are reminded that indeed, Dale has been quite high for the whole movie. Before this point, the audience had never really considered that all of Dale’s actions and decisions were guided while under the influence. The scenes shot underground in the pot farm are all lit by sharp fluorescent growing lights, providing a similar feel as to that felt in the Robinson’s house. By designing the scenes where marijuana is smoked as calm and inviting and designing those where confrontation and action predominates as intense and contrasting, the audience subconsciously associates smoking marijuana with relaxation and comfort and expect the more intense scenes to contain fighting or disapproval of the behavior. In this way, mise-en-scène really advances the acceptance of marijuana throughout the movie. The audience is most relaxed whenever there is marijuana use.
In summary, this film does not portray marijuana as a bad substance. It does give marijuana a primary role as the catalyst to the plotline, but it portrays it enjoyably and positively while doing so. It is the connections that the characters have and Saul’s careless actions that truly place them in their life-threatening situations, and critical viewers come to understand that. By producing a comedy, the audience is already prepared to enjoy themselves and watch with open minds. By developing the plot around the subject of whether or not marijuana use is problematic, viewers come to understand the question on a deeper level as Dale breaks down and evaluates his decisions and what is really important to him. By using complex and strong characters, marijuana is depicted in the hands of functional and interesting people. By associating marijuana use with the brighter and cheerful scenes of the movie, the film effectively helps to recreate the audience’s perception on marijuana use. With all of these combined, the movie serves as a tool for changing the minds of those watching. When the movie is over, the audience is cheerful and prepared to make more mature opinions on the plant because they are more familiar with it. The film is in effect a lesson, however ridiculous it may be. The moral is not lost, and the message has been conveyed. With time, films such as these can change the way society sees taboos and in the end, people come to understand what they refused to understand previously. Sometimes it takes an incentive to get people to reevaluate their beliefs, and watching Pineapple Express is as good of an incentive as any.
Works Cited
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Nasson,, Tim. "Pineapple Express - BEHIND THE SCENES." Wild About Movies 03 Jul 2008 1. Web.19 Apr 2009.
Van Wagner, Kendra. "Color Psychology." About.com: Psychology 1 -10. Web.19 Apr 2009.
Whadu, "Memorable Quotes For Pineapple Express (2008)." Broken Controllers 08 Aug 2008 1. Web.20 Apr 2009.
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