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August 4, 2008

What Illegal Drug Should Replace Stoner Comedies?

thumbnail icon: What Illegal Drug Should Replace Stoner Comedies?

With the release of Pineapple Express, which looks FINE but not EXCEPTIONAL, I'm reminded of my general distaste for stoner comedies and stoner culture in general. To recap: marijuana enthusiasts are far too self-satisfied with their mind-numbing indulgence. There's nothing particularly fascinating about using a substance to ease tension, or party, or whatever. The entire stoner ethos implies that for some reason there's something endlessly compelling about someone being kind of giggly and hungry. There is not.

Not to mention the HIPPIE ASPECT. Even if this generation's subscribers to Pot Aficionado magazine are more interested in listening to My Morning Jacket and talking about classic Nintendo games, they can't quite shake the association with the unwashed devil stick novice chilling in the park with his friends, having a drum circle and enjoying some organic aloe juice from the local food co-op. It reeks of failed promise and outmoded naivete. We need a new drug comedy culture, one that reflects the world in which we actually live, not the world in which our parents kind of went to college but don't remember much of it.

So, what illegal drug should form the basis of this era's drug comedy?

Cocaine
This one's an obvious front-runner. So many great stock broker comedies, you guys. The cocaine comedy genre would be centered on fast-talking wiseacres trying to get ahead in the big city and middle-class white people trying to out-status each other.

Meth
These would mostly be gross-out comedies. If you thought fart and poop jokes were funny, wait until you see the hilarious teeth falling out and skin being scratched off of faces jokes that meth comedy is going to bring to the table. These movies would also have lots of funny explosions and outrageous acts of prostitution, because if there's one thing methheads can relate to it's illegal underground labs going sky high and self-annihilating desperation. Also every meth comedy would be 36-hours long.

Ecstasy
This would mostly just be pot comedy, so I vote no. Besides, what's funny about a bunch of sweaty people on a dance floor listening to horrible music, hugging each other, and trying to stay hydrated?

Salvia
Salvia comedies would be so boring, but that could be one of those rules that forces the artist to become more creative. Because you'd kind of have to work the comedy around the salvia user. It would mostly be an entire genre of Weekend at Bernie's-esque films, but with salvia instead of death.

Heroin
Heroin comedies would be an entire genre of Weekend at Bernie's-esque films, but with heroin AND death. Heroin seems second only to cocaine in its viability for its own genre of comedies. You can just see it now, the hilarious dramatic weightloss, the knee-slapping alienation from friends and family, and the constant tip-toeing along the razor-thin line between life and death. It's basically an LOL Factory.

Posted by Gabe at 1:30 PM in
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18 Comments

There's always something kind of refreshing and relaxing of watching a relatively funny and pointless stoner comedy. They're rarely great, usually hold no actual merit, but are generally enjoyable for a lazy night.

You could save yourself a lot of time if you just titled the post, "I'm Uptight" and then after the jump, you could have a picture of you scolding small children for playing tag because it isn't socially redeeming.

Posted by: edgar allen bro at 08/04/08 2:11 PM | Reply
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WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FRIES WITH THAT ZING?/?

Posted by: Kevin in reply to edgar allen bro's comment at 08/04/08 6:30 PM | Reply
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They already made a meth comedy, Jonas Akerlund's "Spun." It absolutely nailed what being on meth feels like. It features Mena Suvari, playing a constipated meth user, squeezing out a rabbit turd on the toilet for for what feels like five minutes. Then, the movie SHOWS us the rabbit turd. I hated this movie.

"Smiley Face" is a sorta unsung stoner comedy, but then I will watch Anna Faris in anything, even Ryan Reynolds vehicles.

Posted by: Bobo at 08/04/08 2:47 PM | Reply
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you just don't smoke enough weed, brah...i mean gabe.

BRAH!

Posted by: matt at 08/04/08 3:14 PM | Reply
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okay so everyone ever has smoked pot. it's not really all that cool or funny. drunk people are a million times funnier than stoned people. stoned people are just really annoying, especially when they're not stoned but don't stop talking about being stoned and how it shouldn't be a social taboo. what.ever. if it was really taboo judd apatow or whatever other lame judd apatow type person who made this movie wouldn't be able to make so much money off of bros and jack johnson fans.

also trainspotting is the best heroin comedy i've ever seen.

Posted by: judd apatow's son at 08/04/08 3:32 PM | Reply
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please, dude. either you had a bad pot experience, hang out w. douchebags, or are generally just too uptight. it's a weed comedy...it's weed dude. formulaic or whatever it's still pretty funny and just as funny as someone else intoxicated in any other fashion. this is my most anticipated movie of the year. because they'll do it right and guess what...it'll be funny. easy pickins.

and def. trainspotting as heroin "comedy". that's a good model.

Posted by: matt at 08/04/08 3:42 PM | Reply
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my vote is for a recreational adderal comedy. everybody has a big test and pays five dollars a pill so that they can study harder and not dissapoint their parents. hilarious!

Posted by: nora at 08/04/08 3:48 PM | Reply
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it's pretty hilarious except for the part where that guy gets AIDS. that kinda sucked. but animatronic baby on the ceiling! comedic gold.

Posted by: judd apatow's daughter at 08/04/08 3:51 PM | Reply
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gabe, i'm afraid you will die alone

Posted by: rich at 08/04/08 3:54 PM | Reply
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I saw an early screening of Pineapple Express. I think it's more of an action-comedy with a stoner backdrop, rather than a movie about weed. I loved it.

Posted by: Alex profile link at 08/04/08 4:03 PM | Reply
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i really had to google salvia because i didnt know what it was

Posted by: nicole profile link at 08/04/08 4:54 PM | Reply
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what

What about being HIGH ON LIFE?

Posted by: what profile link at 08/04/08 5:12 PM | Reply
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My vote is for more cough-syrup based comedies. I really want to see a bunch of teenagers with dilated pupils and cherry-mint stains on their pants get chased out of pharmacies. I hope The Shins do the soundtrack because inhuman amounts of cough syrup is the only explanation for Natalie Portman in Garden State.

Posted by: Christian at 08/04/08 5:43 PM | Reply
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You're forgetting the most hilarious drug of all time: jenkem. The movie practically writes itself.

Posted by: ricardo at 08/04/08 7:20 PM | Reply
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Gabe

I cannot believe I forgot Jenkem. That is the best. Jenkem comedies would be the funniest (saddest).

Posted by: Gabe profile link in reply to ricardo's comment at 08/04/08 11:16 PM | Reply
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athieno

i didn't know this many people read videogum.

Posted by: athieno profile link at 08/05/08 12:07 AM | Reply
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Considering that you can make a stoner film where nobody gets stoned (a la Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), the whole "stoner film" trope is a bit tired.

Posted by: SailorAlphaCentauri profile link at 08/05/08 2:16 PM | Reply
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Agreeing with Alex in regards to this partiuclar movie. I wasn't too impressed with PE either until I saw some long clips of it & it really looks much better then the commercials make it. An action comedy with pot smoking.

Throwing in another of my 2 cents, what about mushrooms or acid?

Posted by: Genevieve at 08/05/08 3:47 PM | Reply
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