Cheech And Chong’s Up In Smoke (40th Anniversary): Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Cheech and Chong are wannabe musicians and stoners who unwittingly smuggle a van made of marijuana from Mexico to L.A. Their drug-laced humor keeps their spirits high as they unknowingly elude the police and meander their way to an outrageous finale at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood where Cheech performs in a pink tutu and Chong plays drums in a red body suit with a Quaalude logo.
Where do I start with this film? As weird as it sounds I grew up watching Cheech and Chong. As a Mexican American I think it was somewhat of a staple in the lives of the youth that was born in the 70’s and 80’s. These two most certainly paved the way for the likes of stoner duos Jay and Silent Bob, Harold and Kumar, Bill and Ted and many others. The film itself is hilarious and has so many fantastic gags spread throughout but in all honesty there really isn’t much of a narrative. It’s basically a collection of short films/skits that blend in with each other with my favorite having to be the part with the drug laced van that they try to get across the border. The lack of story or the cheesy acting doesn’t really make any difference though because the movie is a classic and will forever be considered a staple in comedic history. If you’re a fan of this duo then there’s no doubt that you need to pick this up as soon as you can and enjoy reliving every moment. 8/10
Special Features:
How Pedro Met the Man: Up in Smoke at 40 – A fantastic feature with Cheech and Chong along with Director Lou Adler as they look back and reminisce about the making of the film.
Roach Clips – A collection of very funny outtakes.
Lighting It Up: A Look Back at Up in Smoke – Essentially the same as the first feature but an older version of it. It’s still really cool to compare the two.
Animated Music Video – A weirdly animated version of the song “Earache My Eye”.
Cheech & Chong’s “The Man Song” – A collection of clips from the movie of various times the word “Man” was said.
Vintage Radio Spots – 2 audio spots that publicize the film.
Commentary By Cheech Marin and Director Lou Adler
