You Don’t Have to Be Stoned to Appreciate These Stoner Classics on 4/20
The Dude, Smokey, Cheech and Chong—they are all film icons who, through a few hazy clouds of smoke, have made an impact on culture in ways that no stoner could have ever predicted. A rewatch of the flicks they star in—some of which made waves in the 1970s, while others became instant classics in the aughts—offers audiences fresh opportunities to get lit and stay subdued. The slapstick stoner comedies of yore aren’t necessarily brainless; some of the most beloved space cadets from How High and Bad Teacher have imparted timeless wisdom upon viewers and uncloaked teachable moments on why life should never be taken too seriously. And who could forget about the ladies? From a young Milla Jovovich in Richard Linklater’s 1993 classic Dazed and Confused to a spacey Anna Faris in Gregg Araki’s Smiley Face, the girls of ganja are represented in this cannabis compilation, because even though Anthony Michael Hall’s character in The Breakfast Club insists that “chicks can’t hold their smoke,” it simply is not true. In honor of the highest of holidays, here you will find the stoner classics that should be on your 4/20 list. (And you don’t even have to be stoned to appreciate them).
1The Breakfast Club
“Chicks cannot hold their smoke, dat’s what it is.” Anthony Michael Hall in The Breakfast Club, 1985. Photo courtesy Everett Collection.
2The Life Aquatic
“You wanna kill this?” Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic, 2004. Photo courtesy Everett Collection.
3Perks of Being a Wallflower
“I’m guessing you’ve never been high before.” Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman in Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012. Photo courtesy of GIPHY.
4Dazed and Confused
“Watch them fly…away.” Milla Jovovich in Dazed and Confused, 1993. Photo courtesy Everett Collection.
5Mallrats
“All it took was a fat, chronic blunt. These guys were lightweights.” Jason Lee and Jeremy London in Mallrats, 1995. Photo courtesy Everett Collection.
6This is the End
“I’m drinking, I’m smoking weed. I’m on a cleanse, I’m not psychotic.” Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill in This is the End, 2013. Photo courtesy of GIPHY.
7The Big Lebowski
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Buscemi, Jeff Bridges, and John Goodman in The Big Lebowski, 1998. Photo courtesy Everett Collection.
8How High
“I figure if I study high, take the test high, get high scores! Right?” Silas P. Silas and Jamal King in How High, 2001. Photo courtesy of GIPHY.
9Dude, Where’s My Car?
“Who’s Johnny Potsmoker?” Seann William Scott and Ashton Kutcher in Dude, Where’s My Car?, 2000. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
10Up in Smoke
“I been smoking since I was born, man, I can smoke anything, man.” Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin in Up in Smoke, 1978. Photo courtesy GIPHY.
11Friday
“I know you don’t smoke weed, I know this. But I’m gonna get you high today, ’cause it’s Friday. You ain’t got no job…and you ain’t got sh-t to do.” Chris Tucker in Friday, 1995. Photo courtesy GIPHY.
12Pineapple Express
“I wish I had a job like that, where I could just sit around and smoke weed all day.” Seth Rogen and James Franco in Pineapple Express, 2008. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
13Ted
“Let’s just find a better place to get stoned.” Mark Wahlberg in Ted, 2012. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
14Smiley Face
“They say that true potheads stop getting the munchies after a certain point. I mean the true pothead wouldn’t even say the word munchies. I don’t know what the true pothead would say, ‘munchos’ or ‘hungries’ or something. At any rate, I still love to eat when I’m high.” Anna Faris in Smiley Face, 2007. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
15Inherent Vice
“I’m only a light smoker.” Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in Inherent Vice, 2014. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
16Bad Teacher
“Are we gonna have a problem, me and you?” Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher, 2011. Photo courtesy GIPHY.
17Fast Times at Ridgemont High
“That kid’s been stoned since the third grade.” Sean Penn, Eric Stoltz, and Anthony Edwards in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 1982. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
18Grandma’s Boy
“I’m way too baked to drive to the devil’s house.” Allen Covert and Peter Dante in Grandma’s Boy, 2006. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
19It’s Complicated
“Do you, by any chance, poke smot?” Meryl Streep and Steve Martin in It’s Complicated, 2009. Photo courtesy GIPHY.
20Saving Grace
“I want to grow some vegetables, smoke some weed, sing carols at Christmastime and who knows?” Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson in Saving Grace, 2000. Photo courtesy GIPHY.
21Half Baked
“You know, uh, I never thought I’d say this to anybody, but you two smoke entirely too much reefer.” Guillermo Diaz, Harland Williams, Dave Chappelle, and Jim Breuer in Half Baked, 1998. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection
22Reefer Madness
“Marijuana is that drug, a violent narcotic, an unspeakable scourge, the real public enemy number one!” Thelma White, Dave O’Brien, Carleton Young, Kenneth Craig, and Lillian Miles in Reefer Madness, 1936. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
