The beauty of stoner movies is how they often blur the line between reality and what is happening on film. They have traditionally been the most meta and self-referential of all the movie sub-genres. Sometimes they even inspire the viewer to ask the deeper questions. Such as, do you have to be stoned to enjoy them? Are the actors and crew actually stoned while making the movies? Am I stoned while writing this right now? These are all questions that make the genre so unique.

At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the upcoming action-comedy American Ultra, marketed their film directly to their fan base in a truly unique way. They gave out free samples of their custom strain of marijuana appropriately called ‘American Ultra.’ Talk about breaking the fourth wall. Deadpool…eat your heart out.

Stoner movies are easy to define. They revolve around a pair, or group of slackers, who go on a quest with a big bag of weed. Every movie puts its own spin or perspective on the formula, but it invariably has all of those elements. In addition, most of these films have characters who intentionally (or sometimes unintentionally), cross paths with the ultimate strain of cannabis…that results in unforgettable hilarity. Different marijuana strains produce various specific medicinal effects and these movies listed below, produce their own forms of humorous euphoria. Here are seven stoner comedies that all have their own unique strains of comedy gold.

 

Pineapple Express/This Is the End

Strain: Pineapple Express

Potency: Medium

Effects: Multiple moments of hilarity, but you probably won’t remember much of what actually happened.

Pineapple Express and This is the End don’t technically exist on the same plane of reality, but they did film Pineapple Express 2 within This is the End…so the logic is totally sound. It’s hard to go far without mentioning the work of the thinking man’s stoner, Seth Rogen. In fact, he helped to popularize the new action/stoner/comedy genre with Pineapple Express, trailblazing the path for a movie like American Ultra. 

 

Half-Baked

Strain: Mr. Nice Guy

Potency: High

Effects: Moments of randomness and hilarity that will never leave your system. At the least, you will never forget the wisdom of Jon Stewart’s cameo.

A hands-down stoner classic that may be responsible for single-handedly revitalizing the sub-genre in the late 1990’s. In addition, it was one of the first times mainstream America was introduced to Dave Chappelle and his unique brand of humor. While the movie is slightly dated, everyone should check out the comedic potency of the legendary Mr. Nice Guy. And nothing is better than the Bob Saget cameo…nothing…

 

 

Friday

Strain: Undetermined

Potency: High

Effects: Will leave you with memorable catchphrases that last a lifetime. Be careful or you may end up in a chicken coop…

How would we communicate in the modern era without classic lines like “Daaaaaaaamn.” “You got knocked the F**k out!” and “Bye Felicia.” Seriously, this movie is like the modern book of human language.

 

Smiley Face

Strain: Smiley Face

Potency: Medium

Effects: Chilling accurate recreation of being stoned. Realistic reactions and hilariously accurate internal dialogues.

This movie is a refreshing entry to the stoner comedy genre. It stars a lone female protagonist, in a genre full of bros and buddies. Anna Faris stars as Jane, an aspiring actress who accidentally eats a plate of marijuana-laced cupcakes, which leads her into a series of misadventures that are worth making a movie about. If you want to add an extra layer of meta enjoyment, call off of work and spend the day on the couch eating edibles along with Jane.

While Smiley Face is probably the least known movie on the list, it is a strain that any fan of stoner movies should check out. It’s an underrated comedy, in an underrated genre. Plus Faris’ performance is so spot-on, it is hard to believe she is acting at times…like really hard to believe…

 

The Big Lebowski

Strain: Unknown Dirt Weed

Potency: Extremely low-grade

Effects: A relaxing sensation, that produces intense random giggling. You may have regular flashbacks of the Dude, Walter, Donny and the Jesus…for the rest of your life.

The magic of the Coen brother’s film is how real the characters feel. It’s almost like you are puffing with the Dude on his rug. And in his car. And in other people’s cars. Even flying through space with a bowling ball. Wherever the Dude is, it feels like you are right there with him and his band of misfit bowlers.

 

How High

Strain: Ivory

Potency: Supernaturally High

Effects: Can bring your dead homies back from the afterlife. May make you nostalgic for a time when rappers had personality.

How High is probably the closest analog that we have to a modern-day Cheech and Chong. (All apologies to Harold and Kumar, but they have quickly been forgotten.) Redman and Method Man effortlessly seem like an animated pair, so it is only natural that they star in their own stoner comedy.

When the duo roll the ashes of their dead friend Ivory, into their blunt, they are able to communicate with him in the afterlife. That’s some potent stuff! The effects allow them to pass their college entrance exams, outwit a pimp, and raise Benjamin Franklin from the dead…all a result of toking on that Ivory! This film deserves a spot on the list just from the creativity of the strain.

 

Super High-Me

Strain: All of them…

Potency: Medium

Effects: May induce a feeling of jealousy and envy.

Comedian Doug Benson made his name from this documentary, in which he essentially knocks off Super Size Me. Benson challenges himself to thirty days of sobriety. Followed by thirty days of binging on as much marijuana as humanly possible. It shows the cross-section between comedy and stoner culture, with a bunch of hilarious celebrity cameos, activists, and comedians. Unfortunately, we can’t decipher the exact strain of this stoner documentary…since Benson has smoked all of them.

 

The next strain of stoner comedy, American Ultra, will be hitting theaters on August 21st, 2015. 

What strains of comedy are your favorite of all-time? Let us know on , , ! Share our stories by simply clicking your social media below!