★ 7 / 10
A dark comedy character study of sorts that
Jeffrey P
A dark comedy character study of sorts that has just enough depth and social commentary to give it deeper meaning and make it a higher quality.
A dark comedy character study of sorts that has just enough depth and social commentary to give it deeper meaning and make it a higher quality.
★ 8 / 10
I saw this in the theater in Humboldt
R T
I saw this in the theater in Humboldt County with a boy I had met there. Like Peter Hadley, I was from somewhere else. Unlike Peter Hadley, I was searching…
I saw this in the theater in Humboldt County with a boy I had met there. Like Peter Hadley, I was from somewhere else. Unlike Peter Hadley, I was searching, not kidnapped, and especially curious about medical pot, because I suffer from refractory epilepsy. Back then it wasn't legal in my state.
My ex-boyfriend said, "I didn't like it. It was too realistic." To this day I remember him saying that, and wonder about it, because I see the characters as absurd symbols for what the creators want to express.
However this is a propaganda movie. It tries to make you feel sympathy for people growing pot and the character who takes you on this journey is a guy who might be a doctor. That doesn't make it bad. I think it's for legalization.
You cry for Max The Truman because his life as a pot farmer was given to him by his parents, and he's afraid he will give it to his daughter.
From the outsider's perspective, Peter Hadley, he's envious of Max. Max and Jack live their lives freely like true men. They don't allow someone to tell them what to do if they don't believe it's right so they don't follow the rules. They can do whatever they want, unless they get shot at.
Although he tries to deny this envy, it's there. By comparison, Peter Hadley's life is nothing but an endless cascade of paperwork as he sleepwalks through life doing exactly as his father wishes.
However, that's exactly what Max has been doing, and why he eventually kills himself. Or just has an accident that was confusing.
Peter Bogdanovitch look's very much like a dour basset hound. So does J.K. Simmons, actually. Strange. Peter Hadley might start to look like a basset hound too. Anyway, his rejection of his father to get on the bus is really a symbol that unlike his father who dismisses the idea of medical marijuana, he has by that time embraced it.
Brad Dourif is a favorite of mine as he's terrific at being really creepy. He was in a Star Trek episode and was a super creepy murderer guy. Other actor's who excel at being super creepy are Patrick Fischler.But Dourif's performance as a creepy hippie was somewhat creepy but also lovably creepy.
The true cowards here are the DEA, for stealing people's livelihoods, the true hero, the hippies for not doing what their told. Unfortunately, it has to be a tragedy, because you have to understand that people are hurt by prohibition.
I recommend the movie even though it's a bit silly and obviously very politically motivated. And Peter Hadley is right. Humboldt County is beautiful and magical, and that's why I miss it.
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★ 10 / 10
I didn’t know what to expect with this
F Scott F
I didn’t know what to expect with this one as I found it on a list of “best stoner movies” on IMDB and just watched it. I was pleasantly surprised, it’s…
I didn’t know what to expect with this one as I found it on a list of “best stoner movies” on IMDB and just watched it. I was pleasantly surprised, it’s fantastic, and have watched it at least 15 times. All the cast did great and the film made me want to go up to Humboldt and hang out with Jack and Max and Bogart and Peter and all the characters.
I have two criticism though. I wish the film was long and I wish they used that extra time to flesh out the characters more. I want to know more about them and their backstory. This criticism doesn’t lower the film at all for me though which is why I give it a five despite this.
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