John Otteni

I made a mockumentary about hunting vampires

Retrospecticus: Cheech and Chong at the Movies

Christmas has Santa Claus, the Fourth of July has Uncle Sam, and 420 has Cheech and Chong. Or at least it should. I can think of no better ambassadors of the almighty herb than comedy legends Cheech and Chong.

Formed in Vancouver, BC, in 1969 by Canadian comedian/musician Tommy Chong and L.A.-born Richard “Cheech” Marin (who had moved to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft), the duo began performing in clubs with their unique brand of free-love, counterculture, and cannabis-inspired comedy. Cheech often played the fast-talking, streetwise schemer, while Chong embodied the clueless, Zen-like hippie stoner.

Their self-titled album, released in 1971, peaked at #28 on the Billboard charts and was followed by six more successful albums throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. I’ve listened to a few of these, and while not everything holds up, their character-driven drug culture satire remains undeniably charming.

Some of their songs aren’t bad either. I mean, “Basketball Jones”? That’s as good as any earnest soul ballad from the 1970s. Which isn’t surprising, considering the song features musical backing from George Harrison, Carole King, Ronnie Spector, Billy Preston, Darlene Love, Michelle Phillips, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voormann, and Jim Keltner, to name a few. It was even good enough to be covered by Barry White and Chris Rock for the Space Jam soundtrack.

But I’ll always know Cheech and Chong best for their movies, even though, for years, the only ones I’d seen were Up in Smoke and a few scenes from Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, pieced together from sporadic airings on Comedy Central. These laid-back, seemingly improvisational slapstick comedies are the ultimate stoner comfort food.

So what better way to celebrate 420 and over 50 years of Cheech and Chong than by revisiting their six theatrical releases from 1978 to 1984, along with their 1985 short-form video Get Out of My Room, their 2010 concert film Hey, Watch This!, and their 2013 straight-to-DVD animated film.

Cheech and Chong even have a new documentary, Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie, in limited release right now, which I’ll probably check out when it hits Peacock on April 25th.

So, without further ado, it’s time to turn on, tune in, and drop out into the list:

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Oscars Fortnight: Chocolat

Chocolat (2000)

The 73rd Academy Awards (2001)
Nominations: 5
Wins: 0

There’s a strange allure to “bad” movies that get nominated for Best Picture. Now, Chocolat isn’t bad. In fact, I was on board for about forty minutes, but it’s far from the caliber you’d expect for the most prestigious award in all of cinema. The year 2000 alone had Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic—all movies that are well-liked and still discussed today. Then there’s Chocolat.

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Oscars Fortnight: Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

62nd Academy Awards (1990)
Nominations: 1
Wins: 1

I’ve come to the conclusion that Italy is my favorite country when it comes to international cinema. Sorry, Japan. From neorealism to spaghetti westerns to Giallo, there’s a rich tapestry of genres and subgenres that both pay homage to the medium and subvert it. How does Cinema Paradiso fit into this epiphany? Let’s find out.

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Oscars Fortnight: Ordinary People

Ordinary People (1980)

The 53rd Academy Awards (1981)
Nominations: 6
Wins: 4

Every year when we do our “Oscar’s Fortnight” or “March to Ten Wins,” or whatever we call it now, I find myself tiptoeing around the 1980s. In the five years we’ve done this segment, I’ve only reviewed one 1980s film: Dangerous Liaisons (still can’t spell that word). This isn’t an accident.

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Oscars Fortnight: Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry (1960)

The 33rd Academy Awards (1961)
Nominations: 5
Wins: 3

Three years ago, I watched Burt Lancaster in the 1968 film The Swimmer and was blown away. There’s something about Burt’s raw physicality and charisma, but also his vulnerability, that captivated me in that performance. His character, Ned Merrill, is this charming, handsome, confident guy, but as we delve deeper, we discover he’s actually a scared, depressed, and much darker figure than we were led to believe.

The character of Elmer Gantry is similar in that he projects confidence and thoughtfulness, but the real Elmer is conniving and self-centered. It’s a façade that we see through right from the beginning, as do many of the characters in the film, yet people can’t seem to look away. He creates a “cult of personality,” which makes watching this film in 2025 eerily relatable.

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Fe-Burt-uary: The End

The End (1978)

Before Fe-Burt-uary, I had been dismissive of Burt Reynolds’ film career. I even went so far on a recent podcast as to unfavorably compare Burt to Dwayne Johnson, as two actors who care more about their celebrity than being artists. I was wrong. As a Millennial, the only Burt performances I was familiar with for most of my life were Deliverance, which is celebrated more as an ensemble piece than a Burt vehicle, and Boogie Nights, where Burt is great, but his performance is overshadowed by being another notch in film auteur Paul Thomas Anderson’s belt.

This month, I’ve learned that Burt did care about being an artist. He was never one to turn down a big paycheck for a dumb action flick, but he was also interested in telling good stories and broadening himself as a performer. Just this month, I’ve learned about Burt the action star, Burt the comedian, Burt the dramatist, and now, Burt the director. Where do we start? What better place than with The End?

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