Up In Smoke 40th Anniversary (Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Apr 9th, 2018
Starring: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Strother Martin, Edie Adams, Tom Skerritt, June Fairchild
Written By: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
Directed By: Lou Adler
Studio: Paramount Home Media Distribution
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Fire up your buds and your home entertainment system because the ultimate stoner comedy is celebrating its 40th anniversary and Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are you high-times tour guides through this wacky weed-fueled adventure.
While I’m by no means a stoner or much into illegal substances in general, as a kid I used to watch the Cheech & Chong movies on TV or VHS all of the time. While I wasn’t into high times myself, the movies always reminded me of people that I knew…older family friends, relatives, etc. They were also pretty funny even if you weren’t high. Cheech & Chong were entertaining improv and sketch comedians in general so it carried over to the movies since they had nearly full control of the writing and scene setups.
“Up In Smoke” stands the test of time as not only being their first movie but also one of the best. It introduced the world to the life of a stoner, which at the time with marijuana being labeled as a hard drug and highly illegal, was an eye-opener between the world and the youth culture of the late 60s and early 70s.
The movie tells the tale of the initial meeting between Paco De Pacas (Cheech Marin) and Anthony “Man” Stoner and their misadventures with the police drug task force, insane Vietnam vets, hitchhikers and the Mexican drug cartel. They find themselves in all sorts of outrageous situations caused by their constant state of being high on reefer. Even though just about everything that Cheech & Chong do is highly dangerous and illegal, you always find yourself rooting for them as they blindly cross highways to pick up some jailbait or sneak into police headquarters to score some more dope.
The 40th Anniversary edition combo pack is not only the first time that “Up In Smoke” has ever been released on Blu-ray but also comes jam-packed with enough content to gloss your eyes over. There is commentary on the movie by Cheech Marin and director Lou Adler, interviews with Cheech and Chong, deleted scenes, an animated music video for “Earache My Eye” as well as some vintage radio spots and the original theatrical trailer.
If you need a break from reality but don’t want to get caught picking up the goods from a dude behind the liquor store, then live vicariously through Cheech & Chong in “Up In Smoke”. 40 years later it’s just as funny, just as relevant and looks and sounds better than ever. Whether you lived the life or just wondered what all of the fuss was about, you owe it to yourself and future generations to own and watch this movie…multiple times.
Features:
•Commentary by Cheech Marin and Lou Adler
•How Pedro Met the Man: “Up In Smoke” at 40 + Cheech & Chong Interview
•Roach Clips (Deleted Scenes) with Optional Commentary
•Lighting It Up: A Look Back at “Up In Smoke”
•”Earache My Eye” featuring Alice Bowie: Animated Music Video
•Cheech & Chong’s “The Man Song”
• Vintage Radio Spots
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French, Spanish and Portuguese Mono Dolby Digital, English Audio Description
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish Subtitles
Video:
1080p High Definition 16×9
Bottom Line: Stoner or not, Cheech & Chong have always made people laugh and “Up In Smoke” is one of the best examples of their work.
Running Time: 85 Mins
Rating: R
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