Up in Smoke [WS] [Hi-Larious Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Then professional potheads Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong teamed up for Cheech & Chong: Up In Smoke, which features the drug-addled duo on a road trip throughout California; that is to say, a road-trip they hope will culminate in finding some quality weed. Instead, a series of mishaps result in their respective deportations to Mexico. Desperate to get back to the states so they can perform in their band's gig later that night, Cheech and Chong unwittingly agree to drive a very unique car across the border -- rather than steel and various metal bits, the vehicle is constructed entirely out of marijuana. Back in the States and accompanied by two extraordinarily out-of-it female hitchhikers, the stoned group meanders about in an attempt to get their musical performance together, and narrowly escapes from local law enforcement agencies on numerous occasions despite their complete inability to realize they were being tailed to begin with. The incredibly low-budget movie surprised critics, grossed millions, spawned a series of lesser follow-up films, and cemented Cheech & Chong's cult-status among potheads across the globe. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Surround
• Subtitle: Eng/Fre
• Features:
  • cc
  • Commentary by Cheech Martin & director Lou Adler
  • Roach Clips (deleted scenes) with optional commentary
  • Lighting up: A look back at Up in Smoke
  • "Earache My Eye" featuring Alice Bowie: animated music video
  • Cheech & Chong's "The Man Song"
  • 2 vintage radio spots
  • Theatrical trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Cheech Marin - Pedro
       Tommy Chong - Man Stoner
       Stacy Keach - Sgt. Stedenko
       Edie Adams - Mrs. Stoner
       Tom Skerritt - Strawberry
       Strother Martin - Mr. Stoner
       Anne Wharton - Debbie
       Louisa Moritz - Officer Gloria
       June Fairchild - Ajax Sniffer
       Angelina Estrada - Aunt Bolita

• Director:

  Lou Adler

• Producer:

  Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo

• Screenwriter:

  Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin

• Cinematographer:

  Gene Polito, Jack Willoughby

• Editor:

  Scott Conrad, Dennis M. Hill, Lou Lombardo

• Art Director:

  Leon Ericksen

• Costume Designer:

  Ernest Misko

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Pat Mitchell

• Makeup:

  Wes Dawn

• First Assistant Director:

  Mike Moder

REVIEW:

• Pot movies in general are usually tedious, insular affairs which are not particularly funny outside their target audience (namely, high people). This one is a hilarious exception, taking many of the best-known routines involving Pedro De Pacas (Richard "Cheech" Marin) and Man (Thomas Chong) and building them into a loosely knit episodic comedy that's a joy to watch. Much of Cheech and Chong's humor is based on improvisation, so there are dull patches, but far fewer than in their later films. There are also unforgettable supporting characters like the officious Sgt. Stedenko (Stacy Keach), who ends up getting accidentally stoned and proclaiming "I'm the munchies," and June Fairchild as a woman so drug-addled that she greedily snorts Ajax, thinking it to be cocaine. It starts to come unraveled at the end, when the boys enter a punk rock band contest, but it is generally a hilarious, free-spirited antidote to conservative times. And as far as sending a bad message, it could be argued that anyone who looks at the Pedro and Man characters as life role-models probably doesn't need chemical help to be a loser. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi