It’s pretty fitting that 4/20, the day to celebrate getting high and cannabis culture would be a rather inane, insider-y and secret code-term made by high school stoners that didn’t want their parents to know they were going to get baked. Or that’s one theory from a rather nonsensical Wikipedia post which I’m convinced was jacked by the Internet today.
Some versions about the theories and origins of 4/20 was the California penal code or the police radio code for marijuana (False). Another hilarious—obviously a stoner theory—put it on what was dubbed “Bob Dylan-based math” after the song “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” In the song Dylan croaks, “Everyone must get stoned” and 12 multiplied by 35 is 420. OK, dude, whatever.
But actually, according to the History Channel, the Wikipedia entry centered around a treasure hunt in 1971, involving five high school students in Marin County, Calif., who created a ritual for getting high is true. The details are stoner blather not worth repeating here, but it’s 4/20, let’s forget the nonsense and just get high like normal high-functioning adults that want to take off the edge while at work or parenting.
So, in honor of Woody Harrelson’s favorite holiday and the release of the “Super Troopers 2,” (though we didn’t bother to review it…) let’s relax, grab some Funyuns, and spend the whole day catching up with your friend Mary Jane while watching these movies.
“The Big Lebowski”
In 1998, the Coen Brothers did what any other writers/directors would do after winning their first Oscar: make a stoner comedy starring Jeff Bridges. Bridges stars as Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, who desires nothing more than to take it easy, smoke a little grass, and go bowling. Due to a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is pulled into a web of intrigue that only the Coen Brothers could weave while keeping the comedy in the forefront. Co-starring a cast of frequent Coens collaborators (John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro), the film is hilarious in its juxtaposition of The Dude’s easy-going ways and the unfortunate situation he’s gotten himself into. Featuring career best turns by John Goodman as Walter Sobchak, The Dude’s not always helpful friend, and John Turturro as his bowling rival Jesus, each performance in this film is memorable. Don’t be out of your element, and get yourself in the mindset of The Dude when taking this trip.
“Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke”
The Grandfathers of herbal remedy comedies, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, starred together for the first time in “Up in Smoke.” The loose storyline involves them accidentally transporting a van made of marijuana from Mexico to the USA, with narcotics officers blazing after them on their trail. Cheech and Chong’s easy-going camaraderie carries the movie, taking viewers on a hazy trip from location to location as they narrowly avoid repercussions from their actions. Both Cheech and Chong don’t leave their comfort zone in their performances, but that doesn’t matter since we know what to expect when watching them. Any fan of comedies, especially of the 4/20 variety, needs to check out this movie that inspired others in the genre that followed.
“Grandma’s Boy”
While it never became a critical or commercial hit (16% on Rotten Tomatoes and $7MM at the domestic box office), it would have been hard to meet someone in college who didn’t own this movie on DVD the recent years after its release. With infinitely quotable dialogue (“I’m way too baked to drive to the devil’s house”) and pitch perfect comedic performances by the entire cast (featuring Linda Cardellini, Jonah Hill, Shirley Jones, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, and many more), “Grandma’s Boy” became a cult classic of the mid-2000’s. The loose plot centers on Alex (a rare Allen Covert lead performance), a video game tester, and the circumstances around his work and personal life that lead to him moving in with his Grandmother and her friends. From there, the film is a series of hilarious moments that may have been too low-brow for critics at the time but eventually found an audience on DVD.
