Welcome back to the Video Store Podcast. It is a complete coincidence that today, on 4/20, I am taking a look at some of the best “stoner comedies” of all time. While I personally “just say no,” I like celebrating 4/20 my own way — by revisiting films that are “high”ly recommended.
In Up in Smoke (1978), Cheech and Chong’s first film, Pedro (Cheech Marin) picks up a hitchhiking “Man” (Tommy Chong) and the two of them spend the next 90 minutes criss-crossing both southern California and Mexico searching for increasingly strong strains of dope. Pulling material from their multiple gold and platinum comedy albums, Up in Smoke is considered to be the godfather of all stoner comedies.
Half Baked (1998), co-written by and starring Dave Chappelle, is considered to be the hand-off between two generations of stoners. In the film, lifelong stoners and best friends Thurgood Jenkins (Chappelle), Scarface, and Brian devise a plan to bail their bestie Kenny out of jail after he is arrested for accidentally murdering a police officer’s horse. Despite being considered a classic of the genre, Chappelle promptly and publicly disowned the film after its release due to changes Universal forcded him to make to the script. Featuring over a dozen comedians and musicians from Steven Wright and Jim Breuer to Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson, Half Baked remains a full classic.
Dazed and Confused (1993) takes place in 1976 on the last day of school in a small Texas town. This Richard Linkletter film follows dozens of students as they prepare to escape the confines of high school and enter adulthood, whether they have a plan in place or not. Similar to movies like American Graffiti and The Breakfast Club, Dazed and Confused is a coming of age story that reminds us regardless of a story’s setting, some high school experiences remain timeless. Dazed and Confused is better than okay; it’s “All right, all right, all right.”
In The Big Lebowski (1998) we learn what happens when thugs break into a man’s apartment, dunk his head into the toilet, demand money for unknown reasons, and relieve themselves on his rug — not just any run, but one that “really tied the room together, man.” The recipient of this injustice is “The Dude,” a laid-bac stoner who, with help from his bowling partners and friends Walter and Donny, discover the he — Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski — share a name with another, much richer business man. Convinced the “Big” Lebowski was the intended target of this break-in, the Dude is coaxed into confronting the Big Lebowski and demanding compensation for his damaged rug. Written and directed by the Coen Brothers (Raising Arizona, Fargo), before long The Dude (Jeff Bridges), Walter (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi) have stumbled into a kidnapping for ransom plot that will leave one person missing a toe, one person dead, and a lot of people confused. A cult-classic where every scene is memorable and every line is quotable. Best watched with a White Russian in hand.
The Video Store would like to apologize for the snack bar being completely depleted this week. Someone must have had the munchies. If you’re like me and don’t, uh, “partake,” feel free to celebrate 4/20 with me by revisiting some of the best stoner movies of all time.
