How Cheech & Chong lit up the film industry
Creating that sense of community with “Up in Smoke” was Cheech & Chong’s secret weapon to success. It’s a movie that you can watch stoned with your friends, about the wild things that might happen when you get stoned with your friends. The film acted as a blueprint for other entries in the stoner buddy comedy subgenre, one that could be refined and built upon in the years to follow. By the time Cheech & Chong’s next movie, aptly titled “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie,” rolled around in 1980, it didn’t matter that critics panned the film as an unfunny clone of its predecessor; the stoner buddy comedy was alive and kicking. Most importantly, it was profitable. (Todd Plitt/Getty Images) Kal Penn and John Cho pose for a portrait while promoting their movie “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle” at Pop’s Burger in downtown New York City on July 19, 2004 My introduction to these movies was tense. The fervent anti-drug counseling of my elementary school days was almost too effective on me. The …
