In honor of 4/20, we’ve put together this list of stoner comedies you should enjoy while smoking on some of that good.
Cheech And Chong’s Up in Smoke
We can’t make a list of stoner movies without mentioning the movie that launched the entire genre. Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke brought stoner culture to the mainstream and made Cheech and Chong household names. The movie basically plays like a bunch of loosely connected, drug-centric sketches, but it works since so many of the bits hit. Especially if you meet the film on its level and light something up yourself.
Up In Smoke is nearly 50 years old and still brings the laughs. The best part is that you can currently watch it for free on YouTube.
Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke is currently free to stream on YouTube.
Half Baked
Our next three are what I would call Comedy Central classics, as I distinctly remember watching these every time they aired during the channel’s uncensored block on Saturday nights (and praying to god my mom didn’t hear those Girls Gone Wild commercials.)
Half Baked is technically a crime comedy from Chappelle’s Show creators Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan. After their buddy is sent to jail for accidentally poisoning a diabetic horse, Thurgood (Chappelle), Scarface (Guillermo Diaz), and Brian (Jim Breuer) engage in a series of, uh, half-baked schemes to raise bail money. Half Baked is why I struggled to take Diaz seriously during Scandal’s first season. The film also features what is probably my favorite performance from the late Bob Saget.
Half Baked has been one of my 4/20 go-tos since before I even started smoking.
Half Baked is available for rental and purchase from digital storefronts.
Harold and Kumar 1 & 2
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle was a formative experience for me. If you grew up during the 2000s, you either watched this on TV or sneaked to watch it at a friend’s house. As a kid, I just loved how absurd these movies were. After living with my best friend post-college, I have a retrospective appreciation for the first film. In a pre-Postmates world, there was no greater struggle than being high and realizing your food game is lacking. John Cho and Kal Penn star as Harold and Kumar, respectively, as their relatively straightforward goals, a trip to White Castle and a flight to Amsterdam, go hilariously off the rails.
It’s basically The Odd Couple for stoners.
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay came out as baby me was gaining political consciousness, and it was one of the first comedies where I was laughing at both the absurdity and the sharp satire of living in post-9/11 America. Whether you watch both or just one, you’re guaranteed a fantastic viewing experience this 4/20.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle is available to stream on Peacock, and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay is currently streaming on Hulu.
Pineapple Express
Much like the strain of cannabis it takes its name from, Pineapple Express is a hybrid-blend of stoner comedy and action/crime thriller. It’s a combination that really shouldn’t work, yet Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Danny McBride absolutely crush the material. Rogen stars as Dale Denton, a process server who regularly buys weed from Franco’s Saul Silver. While smoking before delivering some papers, Dale witnesses a murder, which sends Dale and Saul on the run.
Pineapple Express is endlessly quotable. Saul’s delivery of the word “lingerer” has been a vocal stem of mine since I was 16. If you want some action with your comedy, Pineapple Express is the one to go with.
Pineapple Express is available to rent or purchase on digital storefronts.
The Friday Movies
Y’all know I wasn’t about to do this whole list and not list the GOAT of all GOATs, Friday. I’m pretty sure Friday was the only R-rated movie I had full permission to watch growing up because I wore that VHS out as a kid. I love Friday. It’s one of the few films I’d label a perfect movie because it just works from start to finish.
Friday is genuinely one of the most important movies of the ’90s. It established F. Gary Gray as one of the best Black directors working in genre cinema, established Ice Cube’s bona fides as a writer/comedic actor, and launched Chris Tucker into stardom.
Y’all, I got laid off on a Sunday, and once the shock wore off, all my closest friends asked the same question: “How did you get fired on your day off?” The cultural impact Friday has had to this day cannot be denied.
While Next Friday doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, it’s still got some funny beats. “I can’t get jiggy with this sh-t” has been my go-to phrase whenever I’m hating on something or someone. You could watch Friday After Next, but honestly, I feel like that’s more of a Christmas watch than 4/20. But hey, I ain’t gonna tell you what you can and can’t watch on the holiday.
Friday is currently available to rent or purchase on digital storefronts.
Bonus Pic: Anything on Tubi
Sometimes you just need to get high and witness something insane. While not intentionally comedies, the wide variety of low-budget hood films on Tubi are some of the best comedies you can find. Some of the most out-of-pocket lines I’ve ever heard in a movie have come from Tubi movies. The wide array of low-budget Tubi movies is basically the closest we’ll ever come to having a Quan Millz cinematic universe, and you know what? I’m absolutely here for it. While yes, I do have a Criterion Channel account, I’m not always trying to eat my cinematic vegetables. Sometimes I just want to see a dude curve a bullet like he’s Angelina Jolie in Wanted.
No matter what you decide, there are plenty of bangers for you to choose from this 4/20. Happy holidays!
SEE ALSO:
420 Laws: US Cannabis Legalization Through The Decades
What Does 420 Mean For Black People Shut Out Of The Cannabis Industry?
