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Not to take away from Cheech and Chong, but if the genre of stoner comedy had not progressed and adjusted to the current culture, it would have died. In my opinion, the two best stoner comedies since Cheech and Chong have been Half Baked and Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. What they all have in common with Cheech and Chong is they feature hapless characters (in the mould of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel & Hardy) who, in spite of their mental handicap or pot smoking, beat the system and come out on top.
What is different about them is that their characters are more integrated into society than the drop-outs Cheech and Chong were. In Half Baked Dave Chappelle’s character, as well as his side kicks were all gainfully employed as were Harold, as a corporate office worker, and Kumar, as a professional student. In addition to being functional members of society, the characters in the recent stoner movies have intellectual capabilities far beyond what Cheech and Chong ever displayed.
People laugh at movies because they can identify with the characters and situations. Since about half the people in the US have tried marijuana during their lifetime, it’s a good bet that many of the people that go to see stoner movies have smoked themselves, and to a degree want to see themselves in the characters. Needless to say it would be difficult for a person who has successfully run their life while simultaneously smoking marijuana to identify with a disconnected stoner.
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Nintey-three percent of what I say is brilliant, factual information and seven percent is complete bullshit. Have fun deciding which is which.
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