Film

30 Minutes or Less

Name: 30 Minutes or Less
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Released: 2011
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Dilshad Vadsaria

Heist
Action
Thriller
Relentless

A pizza delivery driver gets kidnapped by two bumbling criminals who strap a bomb to his chest and demand he rob a bank within 30 minutes. It's a snappy, violent-edged comedy that moves at breakneck speed, built on escalating chaos and the chemistry between its leads. Made for people who like their laughs brash and their plots ridiculous.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like scrappy, mean-spirited buddy capers where the schemes are dumb, the dialogue is sharp and the chaos keeps building out of a fairly grounded premise.

Skip it if you find Eisenberg's squirming, hapless sad-sack shtick grating, or want a comedy that stays polished rather than messy and loose.

What it asks of you: Its lean 83 minutes barely pause, so you'll need to keep up with a rowdy tangle of plans that feel improvised rather than settled into character.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Quick Change1990

Bill Murray robs a bank on purpose in this nimble, underrated heist-comedy from the late '80s. Like 30 Minutes, it's taut, absurd, and much smarter about planning gone wrong than it has any right to be.

But It's distinctly '80s in tone and pacing, which may feel dated. The comedy lands differently than modern sketch-style humour.

Game Night2018

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams lead this brilliantly constructed comedy-mystery where plans unravel in real time. It has the same spirit of ordinary people caught in escalating stupidity, with genuine wit underneath.

But It's longer and more elaborate—if you want something as propulsive as 30 Minutes, this sits with its concept more.

Tropic Thunder2008

Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, and a stellar cast in an action-comedy where everything keeps getting worse. Wildly violent, aggressively stupid characters, and dialogue that rewrites itself constantly. Pure momentum.

But The satire can overshadow the actual plot, and some of the jokes feel dated now. It's also significantly longer and louder.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from 30 Minutes or Less

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Fargo1996

Both centre on abduction and ransom as the plot engine, but Fargo shows what happens when the chaos turns genuinely fatal. Same structure, opposite register.

The Coen Brothers' masterpiece about two small-time criminals who kidnap a businessman for ransom money. It shares the DNA of 30 Minutes—ordinary people committing a desperate crime, everything spiraling—but elevates it to tragedy and moral complexity. Endlessly rewatchable.

But It's far slower, quieter, and bleaker than 30 Minutes. The comedy is bleak and sometimes invisible. It demands patience in a way the pizza delivery film doesn't ask.

Grimsby2016

Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong as estranged brothers stumbling through a spy-thriller plot. Crude, chaotic, and genuinely funny in the same vein as 30 Minutes—low stakes, high chaos.

But It's aggressively vulgar in a way that exhausts rather than amuses some viewers. The plot barely matters, which bothers people who want structure.

Horrible Bosses2011

Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis plan a murder and everything falls apart. Same year as 30 Minutes, same energy: ordinary guys in over their heads, ensemble cast riffing, fast-moving.

But The premise is darker than the execution, so it often feels stranded between tones. It doesn't quite commit to the comedy or the crime.

Pineapple Express2008

Seth Rogen and James Franco on the run with a weed deal gone wrong. It's chaotic, genuinely sweet in places, and endlessly quotable. Dumb characters doing dumb things in an action-comedy frame.

But The plot meanders; some scenes feel padded. If you don't warm to Rogen's delivery, you won't connect.

Let's Go to Prison2006

Dax Shepard and Will Arnett in a surprisingly funny revenge-comedy about two criminals with competing agendas. Lower-budget, scrappier energy, same appreciation for idiots failing at plans.

But It's genuinely obscure and feels a bit cheap in places. The premise wears thin by the end.

Observe and Report2009

Seth Rogen as a mall cop descending into chaos. Darkly funny, deeply uncomfortable, with an undercurrent of genuine menace. More ambitious tonally than 30 Minutes, but same willingness to let comedy sit in uncomfortable places.

But The tone whiplash between comedy and darkness is intentional but alienating. It's not fun in the way 30 Minutes is.

The Scout1994

Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser in a baseball-comedy about an eccentric scout. It's old, it's weird, it's earnestly dumb in a way that feels refreshing. Hidden gem for people who like character comedy over plot.

But It's a 1990s sports comedy that barely holds attention; the premise doesn't sustain the runtime. Feels forgotten for good reason.

Hell or High Water2016

Bank robbery under time pressure with partners falling apart—same plot engine, but this one treats it as tragedy instead of comedy.

Chris Pine and Ben Foster as brothers robbing banks across Texas with a methodical plan that unravels against a pursuing ranger. Modern, sharp, genuinely tense. It's a heist-gone-wrong film with the same escalation logic as 30 Minutes but played completely straight.

But No jokes. It's a western-inflected crime thriller that takes itself seriously. If you want the absurdity, this drains it out.