Half Baked

Year: 1998
Directed By: Tamra Davis
Written By: Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan

RYAN’S REVIEW

When I was a senior in high school this was a movie my friends and I lived our lives by.  Life was so much simpler back then.  This was the movie we quoted to one another, we had discussions about it, and we even had a communal pipe named “Old James.” I guess that says something about the kind of teenager I was but times were different then.  There was a time when I had plenty of growing up to do, but it sure was a lot of fun back then.  This movie reminds me of that time, about not having a care in the world and a freedom I will never know again.

Dave Chappelle will have a voice in many generations to come in the future, but it was my generation that he was a part of.  This movie was part of what got him started; it was his powerhouse at the time.  I have been watching Dave Chappelle since he was playing bit parts in movies like The Nutty Professor and Con Air. When I was in high school he made this movie and it was one made for people my age.  It made Chappelle important to us on another level. When I was in college he started Chappelle’s Show, which of course became a huge success.  It became so successful that Chappelle became overwhelmed with stardom.  He couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Rick James Bitch!” I never blamed him for what he did but he just dropped off the face of the planet one day.  He turned his back on tons of money and went to South Africa or something; but I don’t blame him.  I am a fan of Dave Chappelle and support whatever he decides to do.  I’ll admit I have no idea what he is up to now, or anything he has done in the past five years or so, but it doesn’t matter.  Dave Chappelle put together a great body of work, and it will live on forever.  This movie is part of that work, and it will live on forever with him.

I think this is a good movie about pot because it is funny while sending the right message at the same time.  You have to read between the lines but if you look at these guys in the movie the message is there.  Thurgood is a “master of the custodial arts,” Scarface works on a fast food line, Brian works in a record store he gets fired from, and although Kenny had a good job he is the one that goes to jail.  A clever person can see what that says about the person that gets too involved in marijuana.  It’s a lesson I hope the teenagers that are laughing at this movie don’t fail to recognize. This is a silly movie for the most part but it is all in good fun.

I think Jim Breuer is a really funny guy and I like him in the role of Brian, it seems to come really natural for him. I have never been a fan of Harland Williams really but he is funny in this movie.  Guillermo Diaz is also really funny but he is my least favorite character of the film.  This film is full of notable cameos that would take me forever to list.  The most notable ones are the obvious celebrities of the pothead world being Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg. Another cameo worth mentioning is that of Bob Saget, it is memorable.

This isn’t a movie I ever recommend to anyone because it is too telling and it sends the wrong impression of who I am.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time though.  Depending on your age and maturity I think this movie is worth the time of plenty of people.  It gives me a nostalgic feeling and still makes me laugh today so it will always be important to me.  If nothing else this should be seen by any Dave Chappelle fan because at this time it doesn’t appear he is getting back into the comedy game any time soon.

AMBER’S REVIEW

This movie is a classic. All of my friends have seen it and most of the people I know have seen it. It’s just a silly movie about potheads. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to know. Just watch it and pretend you have been watching it all these years.

Some of My Favorite Quotes:

Scarface: Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you’re cool, and fuck you, I’m out!

Kenny: No. NO. NO! Devil man! Devil 6-6-6, the mark of the beast! No! Naughty! Naughty jungle of love!

Bob Saget: Marijuana is not a drug. I used to suck dick for coke. Now that’s an addiction. You ever suck some dick for marijuana?

You ever see the back of a twenty dollar bill… on weed? Oh, there’s some crazy shit, man. There’s a dude in the bushes. Has he got a gun? I dunno! RED TEAM GO, RED TEAM GO.

NEXT MOVIE: Hamlet (1996)