Cinematic Cannabis Moments

Whether or not Hollywood is trying to be controversial or informative, people occasionally consume cannabis in the movies. We have rated a few of these cannabis consuming debuts according to realism, necessity to the plot and overall humor.

Reefer Madness (1936)

One man’s plunge into cannabis “addiction” is so lame with hindsight that the story is now a successful Broadway comedy.

Realism: 3

Character Jimmy Lane played by Warren McCollum has violent rages, mindless grinning and misanthropic deeds can be attributed to many other factors instead of cannabis. LSD, crystal meth and alcohol would affect our protagonist in a similar manner. This, however, won’t stop Reefer Madness from one day becoming a Netflix series, just like everything else has.

Necessity: 10

Well, if he didn’t go mad from reefer, then we wouldn’t have a film.

Humor: 4

His leering, staring and drooling is certainly camp, but many years later all those histrionics are more worthy of chuckles than careful analysis. What did the actor really do to behave that way? Snort drain cleaner?

Animal House (1978)

Donald Sutherland plays a professor that smokes out with the hard-partying protagonists of this ultimate college comedy, in order to expand their mind to the possibilities the universe might possess . . . or maybe just to hook up with a co-ed.

Realism: 9

Actually, you almost believe they really did smoke-out. There aren’t any lava lamps or black light posters, no psychedelic music or cartoonish hallucinations. There is just . . . smoke and polite conversation.

Necessity: 5

The cannabis consumption was not really necessary to the plot, but then again, it is college, and the whole point of the film is to demonstrate how counterculture our iconoclastic gang of students are. They don’t even smoke cannabis at a party. They basically use cannabis in a library.

Humor: 3

While their blather is slightly compelling, Sutherland’s character certainly looks unimpressed.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

This is a touching story of several teenagers played by Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, who are confined to a high school library for detention all day long without access to the internet. After the smoke out (they smoke cannabis in a library in a high school . . . could that even happen in this day and age?) the young adults open up to each other and realize they are all one with the universe. Sounds like high-quality cannabis, to me.

Realism: 5

Yes, but no. The hacking, the coughing, the smiling—pretty real. The screaming, dancing and glass shattering? Probably not. Blaire’s blather certainly seems properly cannabis induced. Emilio Estavez running around like he’s in Footloose until he screams so hard glass shatters? Nope, not really real at all.

Necessity: 7

Well, something appropriately psychologically mind-altering, and paradigm-shifting, had to happen or these people would have probably never opened up to each other about their feelings. A bottle of Jack Daniel’s at 3 a.m. might have done the job, too, but that wasn’t feasible.

Humor: 3

It was kind of humorous, but the jokes are now stale. The scene where they hide the cannabis is funnier, but we all know that in a modern remake the principal would place the entire school on lockdown until a SWAT team arrived with drug sniffing dogs. Everyone would be arrested once the cops watched the footage from the video cameras. Thanks for ruining a perfectly good ’80s film about growing up and loving each other, security state!

Platoon (1986)

Charlie Sheen + Willem Dafoe + The Vietnam War = haunting, devastating depictions of the horrors of military conflict in a jungle surrounded by people trying to kill them. Thankfully, America has learned its lesson since then. When Sheen’s character smokes cannabis inside a bunker beyond the DMZ, you can understand why he needs the mental time off.

Realism: 7

The distortion, the music, the choking, coughing fits, the giggling . . . you can definitely feel the worm turning. Even the party seems like it actually happened. Was that cannabis real during that scene? Why not? Could be.

Necessity: 7

Before, during and after the nasty things that happen to these poor soldiers trying to stay alive in a military police action holocaust, it makes sense that they’d have a cannabis break to escape the PTSD. Of course, being that close to Willem Dafoe for that long would make anyone self-medicate. That guy is just a little creepy. Admit it.

Humor: 1

More poignant than funny, none of what is happening inside the bunker makes you sober up when you think about what is waiting for the soldiers in the jungle warzone outside. It should be noted that the shotgun trick Dafoe pulls off was lifted from actual documentary footage featuring soldiers in Vietnam during the conflict smoking cannabis using the same trick. Art imitates life, my friend.

Friday (1995)

Ice Cube and Chris Tucker team up to survive their weekend living in the inner city by partying. This involves cannabis, of course.

Realism: 8

Although the montage mirrors the minds of the two protagonists as they enjoy the best sativa derivative Mother Nature has to offer, there are no LSD images or wild fantasies. Seeing Ice Cube burst out laughing for no reason makes you think that the cannabis on that set was real . . . for the purposes of art, of course.

Necessity: 7

If it was just about two alcoholics it would be less adventurous and far more depressing. Not exactly a comedy. Forty-ounce bottles just aren’t as funny as one-eighth of a good OG.

Humor: 6

The smoke out scenes are funny, but the rest of the movie has better comedic moments. We’re just keeping it real.

Pineapple Express (2008)

James Franco and Seth Rogan are back, and this time they are going to smoke out. Somehow, action scenes including fistfights and firearms happen. That cannabis better be worth all the violence.

Realism: 8

The red eyes, the easy laughter, the appearance of fun . . . looks like the real stuff to me. Maybe all of their action scenes are just intense mind trips, because of the fact they were watching violent films.

Necessity: 8

The fact that these guys smoke cannabis makes this comedy. Even the title is a reference to a type of strain. Of course, now L.A. Confidential (1997) seems like a completely different movie.

Humor: 6

The rest of the film is better because James Franco and Seth Rogen are always funnier when they’re together.