Half Baked

I really liked it's unique comic sensibility ("Of course they have forms lying around. After all, they ARE scientists...") and willingness to just be weird, but looking back, it's kinda lost it's luster.

rieght nea da beech! BOOIIIE!

It has earned a lifetime of goodwill from me, if only for the elaborate background on the dog:

It's just... masterful.

"I wanna talk to Samson! Fly me to the moon like that bitch Alice Kramsden. Cause it's hard being black and gifted. Sometimes I just wanna throw it all down and get lifted."

This and Harland Williams makes this movie great. My friends and I still sometimes quote Scarface: "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, fuck you, I'm out!"

It's always struck me as a film with some classic moments that fell way, way short of its potential when taken as a complete film. You can feel the hand of studio-level interference big-time in this... it's what the suits at Universal thought a stoner comedy ought to be, not the real thing. It was encouraging to see Chappelle on "Inside The Actor's Studio" giving basically the same take on the film as I've had for years - according to him, what we got was extremely watered down and fucked around with by Universal for mainstream consumption. They promised Grade A BC chronic, but audiences got a slightly moldy bag of seedy Brooklyn dirtweed instead. It'll still get you high, but you will probably get something of a headache from it and in the end it's definitely not the same thing. Fortunately for Universal, the cult that eventually formed around this film was way too stoned to notice or care that they'd been sold inferior goods. When it comes to modern weed-related comedy, the Canadian TV series and feature film TRAILER PARK BOYS raises the bar. That's how you're supposed to do it. HALF BAKED is ultimately all too eager to live up to its title. It should surprise nobody that the director went on to work with Britney Spears in CROSSROADS.

Half Baked and CB-4 are the pinnacle of Tamra Davis' creative career. that and baggin' Michael Diamond.

I had no idea that the film was watered down. It's definitely a cult movie the way it is.

Some of my favorite bits:

"Hungry, girl?"
"Fuck you, nigga!"

Willie Nelson
Bob Saget
Tommy Chong
Rachel True

Jon Stewart delivers the signature role of his career in this momentus film.

The adoration for that Jon Stuart role really confuses me. Wasn't that funny to, just over the top.

Jon Stewart's kameo is funier to me when you use it in a new context, like the watching movies whyle hi thread.

Have to say that I don't think Half Baked is particularly hilarious. Forced wackiness is the drill throughout, which seems fairly par for the course in the world of weed-themed comedies. That said, the sequence where Chappelle tries to keep his date with Rachel True (career best, looks-wise) within his meagre budget is well executed.