Seth Rogen on Buddy Films

Michelle Kung - Associated Press

Seth Rogen knows about buddying up. He's friends with comedy godfather Judd Apatow, who featured him in last summer's blockbuster movie Knocked Up.

The Canadian actor co-stars in the upcoming stoner action film Pineapple Express, in which he plays a process server forced to go on the lam with his marijuana dealer (James Franco) after witnessing a murder.

Mr. Rogen co-wrote "Express" with Evan Goldberg.

Here, Mr. Rogen shares some of his favorite buddy films.

- The Last Detail (1973)

As a Navy officer determined to show a prison-bound sailor (Randy Quaid) a lifetime's worth of living in a week, Jack Nicholson is "spectacular," says Mr. Rogen. Beneath the boozing and brawling, the film, which co-stars Otis Young, is about men "talking about their relationships with one another."

- 48 Hours (1982)

The film that launched Eddie Murphy is "really harsh and salty, but hilarious," says Mr. Rogen. "In some of these movies, the 'buddies' don't get along initially and then become friendly, but in this one, Murphy (playing a convict) and Nick Nolte's cop absolutely hate each other."

- Withnail and I (1987)

Mr. Rogen found this art-house comedy about two out-of-work actors (Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann) on DVD. "The humor comes from the actors' loony relationship," he says. "And of course, they drink and do an abundance of drugs the entire time, which appeals to me."

- Lethal Weapon (1987)

Though he calls the Mel Gibson-Danny Glover mismatched-cop film "almost cliché at this point," Mr. Rogen says so many films are still derived from the movie, it remains a must-see. "One cop wants to die, another wants to live to retirement - it's a great formula," he says.

- Midnight Run (1988)

"The quintessential buddy action film," says Mr. Rogen of director Martin Brest's follow-up to "Beverly Hills Cop." Starring Charles Grodin as a former mob accountant and "an oddly hilarious" Robert De Niro as the bounty hunter after him, "Run" stands the test of time because "the violence is really good."

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