Not Just a Stoner Movie

Rating: 10/10 (9 August 2008)

I saw this movie with two friends and my younger brother. My friends and I are definitely not opposed to stoner movies, but my brother has never smoked marijuana, knows very little about it, and has hardly even been around people who smoke marijuana. We all still thought it was hilarious. I think that it has a very wide appeal despite using marijuana as a major element. I saw an interview of Seth Rogen where he was saying they wanted to try very hard to create an actual story line and have entertaining and funny parts that went beyond the classic "stoner" movie. His example was that Cheech and Chong was great for all the stoners, but nobody else would ever want to watch a movie about two guys driving around in a van made out of pot (which is pretty much what the entire plot was). This was much different and was really refreshing. I think that like it or not, marijuana is a big part of American culture. The government estimates that at least 70% of Americans have at least tried marijuana once. I think it's about time that it becomes acceptable for marijuana to appear in popular culture in a way that transcends the usual fringe "stoner" movie, and I for one think this movie greatly succeeded at that.