Up in Smoke

source: Up in Smoke

Trailer—Up in Smoke

Up in Smoke

Up in Smoke is a 1970s stoner comedy and Cheech & Chong's best known film. It helps if you are stoned when you watch the movie. Tommy Chong appropriately plays a character called Anthony Stoner. A slacker whose dad wants to send to military school if he does not get a job. Stoner drives off and meets Pedro de Pacas (Cheech Marin) another dope smoker. Somehow they try to evade the arrests, get deported to Mexico and return back to the USA in a van entirely made out of marijuana as the cops try to to get hold of them. The duo end up in a concert battle of the bands as their van starts to smoke its fumes in the venue. There are some laughs, such as the stoned out sniffer dog on its back. It is too loosely structured and meandering to be absolutely spliffing.

Back in 1978, the comedy duo Cheech and Chong, famous for their marijuana induced social commentary, arrived with UP IN SMOKE, one of the funniest films ever, that is, if you're a pothead. I'm not a pothead, but I definitely smoke some weed here and there, and after first watching UIS, all I wanted to do was rinse and repeat. There are other stoner comedies that are funny, and then there are others that aren't, mainly because they are actors portraying "high" people. This is not the case with Cheech and Chong: these guys are baked all film long, and some of the pothead banter is just unforgettable stuff; unless of course you suffer from short term memory. There's a nice and bizarre cameo by Tom Skerritt as a Vietnam vet with a fondness for the green stuff, and Stacey Keach is hilarious as the detective hot on the duo's smoky trail. Awesome film for fans of cannabis; others may disagree.

Basically all Up in Smoke movies are about watching other people getting high, actually all the drug comedies are about that. It sounds kinda boring, but not when those people are Cheech & Chong. The scene where they were smoking in a car in the beginning is still funny to me, though I watched it many times. This movie is making fun more from the cops and other people who fight drugs, than from the drug addicts who just want to get high. This film shows how ridiculous those fighters against drugs look like, though this is a comedy, in my opinion, there is a lot of truth in this film. Maybe other Up in Smoke movies aren't that good as this one, but as I remember there is always at least few hilarious moments.

Two stoners unknowingly smuggle a van -- made entirely of marijuana -- from Mexico to Los Angeles, with incompetent Sgt. Stedenko on their trail. Although Cheech and Chong made several films together, they will probably always be best remembered for this one, their first. There are so many moments that have since become a part of pop culture. The use of War's "Low Rider", the smoking of the Labrador... when watching it for the first time you might feel like you have seen it before. Those into drug culture may appreciate the film more, but being a stoner is certainly not required to laugh at the antics of these two luckless losers.

This one of the movies I never get tired to see, it gets better for every time I see it. There are a lot of enjoyable characters, like Anthony Stoner, Strawberry, Harry, Stedenko, Jade East, The Ajax Lady and of course The Man and Pedro, you name it, the whole cast is excellent and there is great chemestry between the characters. There is also a great rhythm and great music in the movie. Sadly it`s seldom that this kind of movies are being made to day.

Go with it, take it all in, smile, exhale - then repeat. There are no perspectives, there's only fun and laughter, no winners or losers, no right or wrongs - just ups and downs, highs and lows. When its all over forget it, if you hadn't already: it never really happened - move on!

Of all the Cheech & Chong movies made, I think this one, their first, was their best. There's no real story line you have to follow. The point of this movie was to make you laugh. No messages or extra drama. It's the kind of movie to just sit back and laugh at. I do realize that this movie is definitely not for everyone. Some parents might not want to let their children see it and some people may not want to watch it themselves. The movie features a lot of drugs and some drug use (In case you're not familiar with Cheech & Chong movies). However, if you're not offended by that, and you've never seen this movie before, you should check it out for a good laugh!