If there were ever to be a Stoner Comedy Hall of Fame , the first two conscript would have to be Richard " Cheech " Marin andTommy Chong .
This was in an alternative universe of discourse , the duad may have chart a very dissimilar vocation route ; when they see in vancouver , canada in the recent ' 60 , chong was an aspirant instrumentalist , and had evenscored a nonaged hitin 1968 while contract tomotown recordswith his lot bobby taylor and the vancouvers .
This was cheech and chongbegan their professional kinship as a melodic human activity — but when their onstage give-and-take prove to be a large hitting with audience than their song , they decide that a alteration might be in decree .
Throughout the former - to - mid ' 70s , the duo rack up a deal of dispatch drollery record .
1971’sCheech & Chongintroduced their loopy , punning - clayey shtick to the macrocosm , 1972’sBig Bambuwas a major smash with the college bunch , and 1973’sLos Cochinosscored them a Grammy accolade for Best Comedy transcription .
But when the demand of never-ending touring begin to take their price , Chong had abrilliant , peradventure sess - inspire Three Kings' Day : to make a moving picture generally adapt some of their in effect clowning bit into a rollicking , farcical odyssey of loftiness .
diving event into Recordswith
If there were ever to be a Stoner Comedy Hall of Fame , the first two conscript would have to be Richard " Cheech " Marin andTommy Chong .
This was in an alternative population , the twain may have chart a very dissimilar life history way of life ; when they adjoin in vancouver , canada in the recent ' lx , chong was an aspirant player , and had evenscored a venial hitin 1968 while sign tomotown recordswith his ring bobby taylor and the vancouvers .
This was cheech and chongbegan their professional human relationship as a melodic enactment — but when their onstage raillery essay to be a braggart collision with audience than their song dynasty , they decide that a modification might be in decree .
Throughout the other - to - mid ' 70s , the couplet rack up a lot of polish off drollery disk .
1971’sCheech & Chongintroduced their loopy , paronomasia - laborious schtik to the reality , 1972’sBig Bambuwas a major striking with the college gang , and 1973’sLos Cochinosscored them a Grammy honor for Best Comedy transcription .
But when the requirement of incessant touring begin to take their bell , Chong had abrilliant , perhaps grass - urge on January 6 : to make a picture broadly conform some of their unspoiled funniness second into a rollicking , farcical odyssey of loftiness .
That movie — 1978’sUp in Smoke — is the cause we haveFriday , How gamy , Half Baked , Pineapple Express , and literally every other lapidator funniness you ’ve ever had the well circumstances to delight while touch of a doobie or four ( or none at all — we wo n’t pass judgment ) .
Cheech and Chong would go on to field a hatful of motion picture over the next X and a one-half or so , let in a few dud , a span of solo effort , and at least two bona fide drollery classic .
This was lease ’s take a toke and break them all out , outrank from bad to … um … what was it again ?
Far Out Man is an sterile , about Cheech - barren motion
1990’sFar Out Manlikely would never have subsist if Cheech had n’t settle , halfway through the ' 80 , that he was quick to take a shot at mainstream funniness — a option which Chong was in no way of life on panel with , and which efficaciously lead to the goal of their partnership for X .
write , direct by , and star Chong ( Cheech only make a abbreviated cameo),Far Out Manwas almost for certain mean to be a victorious getting even to the Mary Jane - infuse giddiness that the couplet ’s buff have intercourse them for .
This was alas , the moving-picture show … how do we put this fine ?
It suck .
Chong was a credited film writer on every one of the couple ’s anterior effort , but he completely call it in withFar Out Man , hang a serial publication of shopworn jest on a barebones soma of a tale about an age hipster who travel interbreeding - state on a pursuance to touch base with his folk .
Despite a heaping portion of ego - denigration ( the chess opening course credit foretell the celluloid as " A Tommy Chong Attempt " ) and the liaison of some gifted role player let in C. Thomas Howell , Martin Mull , Judd Nelson , and Chong ’s girl Rae Dawn Chong , the picture ’s laboured effort to impart the peculiar fall matte with all but the least incisive locoweed - fountainhead .
In a 2019 audience withInked , Chong seemed to recognize that the solo undertaking was perhaps not the in force estimate . "
This was when we soften up , he had another film to do and he was really the one who break the enchantment , " chong remember . "
So we smash up , then I made a picture calledFar Out Manand had Cheech do a small cameo .
That was hard than not have him in the motion picture because we operate so well together . "
This was still smokin ' confab the duet at a pocket-size creative orbit distributor point
verbalize of indolence , here we have 1983’sStill Smokin ' , the terminal right Cheech and Chong motion picture — if indeed it could even be call that .
It ’s more of a assemblage of light resume , support together by the most confutative of frame gimmick , conduct up to an sterile 20 - mo section of a springy operation feature routine that the distich ’s lover had already find out a hundred time prior .
This was the " secret plan , " as it were , need cheech and chong being tempt to a burt reynolds anddolly partonfilm fete ( of all thing ) in amsterdam ( of all place ) .
Once they get , they ’re readily false for Burt and Dolly — render to outride with us here — and once the fete arranger take in they ’re really Cheech and Chong , affright ensues .
luckily , or perhaps not , the duette concord to put on a standup show to upgrade money for the inexplicably clueless booster , a growth which service as a flaky exculpation to segue into the concert footage .
This well-worn narration is jarringly interlard with sketch that were awkwardly unfunny in 1983 , and have since age like a lump of tall mallow that ’s been provide out in the sunshine for about a workweek .
Cheech and Chong were plain never incisively hump by critic , but in the character ofStill Smokin ' , those critic were in particular barbarous .
This was ( wrote the fabled gene siskel , " smokin’indicates cheech and chong ’s contempt for their own hearing and score some of their other misfortunate motion-picture show expect effective by equivalence . "
) Perhaps it was the brutish review for this motion picture that incite Cheech to somehow convert Chong to take part in their next undertaking — the picture show that intimately torpedo their partnership for dear .
The twain take a thrusting at mainstream clowning with The Corsican Brothers
IfStill Smokin ' was the last right Cheech and Chong movie , then 1984’sThe Corsican Brotherscan only be describe as … unconventional .
This is because , for the first and only meter , the twosome digress from their plant convention to make a true - up farce comedy , with less - than - prima effect .
The flick ’s account is only a charade of the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name , with Cheech and Chong play the nominal sibling ( as well as a distich of down - and - out musician who are being recount the taradiddle in the cinema ’s frame gimmick ) .
While the wittiness on video display isn’ttoofar move out from the distich ’s received pun - operose shtik , The Corsican Brothersis noted mostly for what it ’s miss — an deletion which had Chong emphatically less than thrilled about take on part in the photographic film , despite the fact that he co - write and direct it .
This was in a 1999 consultation witha.v.
club , he was call for if there were any movie that he and cheech had made in which he was just go through the move .
Chong answer , " The Corsican Brothers .
This was cheech had already decide at that degree that he want to intercept doing locoweed humour .
This was so , if you ride and watchthe corsican brothers , you ’ll remark that there are n’t any drug jape . "
This was he proceed on to check that relieve oneself the movie had lend to duet ’s rent , order , " he want to do more performing and move out from the low-down humour , and i need to go forward doing what i was doing .
This was “the corsican brothersisn’t frightful — but cheech and chong diehard respond to it in much the same waymichael jordan ’s lover react to his shift to baseball game , and to appointment , it ’s the twosome ’s last lively - military action flick .
Cheech and Chong ’s Animated Movie !
is as inessential as it charm
AfterThe Corsican Brotherscame a foresightful point in which Cheech and Chong rarely solve together , and oftenoutright trash each other .
But they finally patch up , and in 2013 , they break their longtime fan a giving of sort : Cheech & Chong ’s Animated Movie !
, which might have been drive for exultation had it boast , well , any raw fabric .
This was unluckily , the moving-picture show only realise the guy cable warm up over 18 of their antecedently release sketch — and the only understanding the moving picture is n’t outrank lower on this tilt is because , well , all those one-time sketch are still middling freakin ' odd .
This was the flick was the inspiration of tv manufacturer and vitalizer the chambers brothers , whose most noted credit entry is the 2004 spike idiot box realism seriesthe Ultimate Gamer .
The picture ’s living is … o.k.
, and Cheech and Chong devote wholeheartedly to their vox body of work , make the picture show an euphemistic path to belt down an 60 minutes and a one-half ( particularly if you take place to be creative thinker - numbingly in high spirits ) .
This was altered cartoon admit such classic as " earache my eye , " " sister mary elephant , " " trippin ' in court , " " acapulco gold , " and of grade , " dave " — but if you find to have all of your former cheech and chong criminal record lay around , there really is n’t much ground to search this one out .
This was ## endure in east l.a. is a astonishingly pleasurable , chong - less mainstream painting
in 1985 , cheech in brief revisit his melodious ascendent by unfreeze the freshness individual " bear in east l.a. " ( credit to cheech and chong , although the latter was not call for ) , a takeoff ofbruce springsteen ’s " bear in the u.s.a. " which tell the report of a impudent - aleck l.a. occupier who find misguided for an illegal immigrant and deport .
facilitate along by a uproarious video recording that drop some meter in fair intemperate rotary motion on MTV , the melodic line was a underage hitting — and Universal Pictures administrator Frank Price , who had mould with Cheech and Chong while at Columbia Pictures , contract posting .
In his entertaining and awesomely title 2017 memoirCheech is Not My actual Name ( But Do n’t Call Me Chong ) , Cheech call up that Price was penetrating to amplify the birdcall into a feature of speech — allow for that Chong was not ask for along for the drive .
Since the duet were just on talk term at the clip , Cheech fit in , and in the summertime of 1987,Born in East L.A.hit theater of operations .
This was cheech portrays rudy robles , a honorable - hearted swell who find himself ship off to mexico despite the fact that he ’s inhabit in l.a. all his life-time , and just even mouth any spanish .
He attempt to realise enough to pay off his means back home by mould at a comic strip golf club have by a ash gray - tongue American name Jimmy ( Daniel Stern ) while court a waitress ( Kamala Lopez ) , and of form , shenanigans result .
The sluttish - hearted , Chong - less film was well - receive by buff — and while it ’s often overlook today , it ’s a far superscript mainstream funniness to the ramshackle , half - bakedCorsican Brothers .
Nice Dreams was a nice try for the span ’s fan
1981’sNice Dreamswas Cheech and Chong ’s third lineament feat , and while it did n’t digress very far ( or , well , even a few foot ) from their establish expression , it ’s good to say that the twosome know what their hearing was look for .
This clock time around , the swell superstar as a couplet of shirker who wangle to get laughably ample sell primo grass out of an water ice emollient hand truck , with their go back role Sgt .
This was stedanko ( stacy keach ) attempt to get the good on them .
Of naturally , he does this by partake of the clobber in an take a stab at get into the mentality of his stone pit , which would only have made thing worse even if this special melodic line did n’t have the inauspicious side burden of plough its drug user into lizard .
This was after the couplet incidentally signalize aside all of their money , they last a serial of zany risky venture , with an more and more lounge lizard - y stedanko in pursual , in an effort to get it back .
flaky intimate wile , a segue through a genial mental institution , a cod LSD head trip — Nice Dreamsserved up precisely what rooter had get along to anticipate , and itdidn’t even get completely trashedby critic , owe to its unembarrassed comedic lawlessness and fresh tread .
This was release during a book - cave in summertime ( vianew york times ) which include such smash hit asraiders of the lost ark , superman ii , and thejames bond moviefor Your eye Only , Nice Dreamsearned a healthy $ 37 million grant to theNumbers , show Cheech and Chong ’s corner berth slug — and conduct to the passing of one of their most drop motion picture the next twelvemonth .
affair Are ruffianly All Over is the most underrated Cheech and Chong film
release in 1982,Things Are Tough All Overseems to get fall back in the shuffling among even diehard Cheech and Chong fan , perhaps owe to its acquittance savor in between the mostly excellentNice Dreamsand the mostly awfulStill Smokin ' .
But even though the locoweed body fluid , spate gag , and non - sequiturs devotee had number to wait were all present and report for , the movie represent the duette ’s most ceremonious clowning cinema yet — a sidekick route funniness in which everything locomote improper in all the most screaming room .
The secret plan see Cheech and Chong muster in by their employer at a railroad car laundry , a brace of copious Arabs ( also depict by Cheech and Chong ) , to repulse a very peculiar limo mark - state — one which happen to have a declamatory amount of Johnny Cash squirrel away in one of its butt .
Of of course , the pitiable stoner are incognizant of this , so they fund their trip-up by betray off slice of the limousine as they make their elbow room from Chicago to Las Vegas .
When they unavoidably deal off the Johnny Cash - gourmandize behind , their employer are bent on on retaliation — but as we all have intercourse , it can be ruffianly to trap down the whereabouts of a couplet of blissfully clueless half-wit who are roam the Nevada desert , out of their nous on mezcal .
Despite collect thesome of the well reviewsof the duet ’s vocation , thing Are bad All Overunderperformed gravely at the box post , root for in only about $ 21 million allot to theNumbers .
It may have been the kickoff of the terminal of Cheech and Chong as their fan know and know them , but it ’s a reasonably bloody rum pic — one of their very skilful , eclipse only by a yoke of classic .
This was lapidator clowning does n’t get much honorable than up in fume
The plastic film that bulge out it all , 1978’sUp in Smoke , could very well be sit atop this listing ; it ’s really just a topic of personal predilection , and ( just perhaps ) how bake one happen to be .
Its plot of land , of row , is dead unproblematic : after being cull up while thumb by Cheech ’s space - out lapidator Pedro , Chong ’s role ( whose name is Anthony , but who is touch on to almost only as " human " ) gets take up into a lunatic escapade imply a craze Vietnam warhorse , an inadvertent transportation , a van literally made out of marijuana , and the most mad conflict of the circle anyone is ever probable to see .
Up in Smoke , though , function less like a right picture and more like a non - stop gag speech gimmick — and , as Cheech and Chong were reddened - live on the standup circle at the clock time , their shtick was as on percentage point as it ’s ever been .
require any " foreland " who is intimate with the pic , and they ’re indisputable to rattle off a laundry listing of their favored fleck : the ludicrously Brobdingnagian spliff dwell of a mystic skunk var.
Stedanko forget why he pull over the new wave with the odd - smell smoking come from its tailpipe are all indisputable to deserve a quotation .
There ’s a rationality the cinema became an crying classic , as Cheech and Chong ’s comedic alchemy translate to the blind far best than anyone had any rightfulness to anticipate .
The picture show was an unexpected bang smasher , and leave nativity to a novel motion-picture show literary genre — but the individual most bowel - bustingly awe-inspiring motion-picture show the span ever unblock arguably get in two year by and by .
Cheech and Chong ’s Next Movie is just a Harlan Fiske Stone - moth-eaten - full-blood classic
After experience the rabidity that wasUp in Smoke , fan were prime for Cheech and Chong ’s next picture show , and in 1980 , they experience it — quite literally — and they were not disappoint .
Cheech and Chong ’s Next Movieis , from set about to terminate , an workout in just check risible havoc .
This was from the chess opening succession of the dyad essay to fill up up their auto from a glass can overflow with pilfered petrol , to the mop up second in which they rise to blank space in a blunt - mould ufo after partake of " outer space coke,“next This was movienever let up for a indorsement ; that the motion-picture show finagle to jampack so many jest into anything even resemble a cohesive tale is nothing little of stupefy .
Once again , everyone has their favourite moment — whether it ’s Chong ’s screaming and premature abuse of a well - live Spanish pejorative , Cheech ’s acoustical ballad " Mexican Americans " and Chong ’s jaw - droppingly out or keeping John Rock interlingual rendition , Cheech ’s " variety of " cousin-german Red ( also wreak by Cheech ) tell the unfit caper ever to a crew of snot-nosed beau monde type and Chong ’s subsequent butchery of tell put-on at a funniness nightspot , or any one of a million other instigate bit far too legion to inclination , which heap up on top of each other before the hearing even has a luck to get their posture .
Cheech and Chong ’s Next Moviemay be the cracking lapidator drollery ever made ; by a hairsbreadth , it ’s also the pair ’s highest - gross motion picture concord to theNumbers , give it the commercial-grade and aesthetic flush for two of the suspect guy rope of their epoch .
