Life Lessons We Can Learn From Movies' Most Prolific Stoners
In the archive of frequently used character tropes, perhaps none have more unanimous crowd favorite appeal than the movie stoner. They’re generally not known for being the sharpest tools in the shed, but their sheer likeability is unparalleled by anyone they share screen time with.
While often portrayed as aimless floaters, there’s always more than meets the eye; the philosophies they live by speak volumes to the quality of their character. And with North America progressively loosening their grip on recreational marijuana regulations, it begs an earnest reflection on cinema’s misunderstood arbiters of wisdom and the quirky moral codes that they live by.
Own your inner weirdness - Charlie Willoughby
Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some is a spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused that comparatively evokes slice-of-life nostalgia about the people we meet who broaden our lenses—but in college. Of the varying mentalities that are personified, none represent themselves with as much distinction as Charlie Willoughby (Wyatt Russell).
This laid-back California oddball embodies the prototype free-thinker in 1980: expert weed chef, leaning tower of Twilight Zone cassette tapes, avid Pink Floyd listener, naked yoga practitioner. Willoughby’s high-minded originality earns him a spot on Linklater’s Mount Rushmore, his eternal words leave us with a warm reminder to “embrace your inner f**kin’ strange, man!”.
Aspire for more than they think you’re capable of - Silas P. Silas
They say success is the best revenge; How High features rap icons Method Man and Redman as Silas and Jamal, two underachieving stoners who face off with a dastardly Harvard Dean after miraculously getting perfect scores on their standardized tests.
Sure, Silas may be a pothead but throughout the film he proves to be an innovative thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit. Despite the adversity of a malicious dean plotting his downfall, he’s a phenomenal weed grower committed to the discovery of scientific breakthroughs in irregular planting methods. In fact, he probably belongs on the ‘movies best botanist’ list behind Mark Watney in The Martian.
Everybody needs one good friend - Saul Silver
James Franco brings life to a gregarious, bandana sporting weed dealer in Pineapple Express, an action comedy about two fumbling potheads on the run from a sadistic drug lord and his army of goons. Along with fellow pothead Dale (Seth Rogen), Saul is ensnared in an odyssey of hijinks that will test the bonds of their unity.
Though Dale initially rebuffs Saul’s affection, in the face of imminent danger, Saul’s unconditional loyalty helps Dale realize the value of trustworthy companionship. If life is an ongoing series of cross joints, Saul’s prescient wisdom teaches us never to smoke it alone.
Always be two steps ahead - Cheech & Chong
1978 was the dawn of a bold new era of comedy, one that reflected a counterculture zeitgeist that would pave the way for generations to come. Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke created the very formula for the stoner canon we still celebrate to this day, a wayfaring hang out with loose morals and guilt-free levity.
The film follows two clueless potheads evading police on a road trip from Mexico to L.A. in a van made entirely of hardened ganja. Whether it’s legitimate strategy or sheer dumb luck, our two unlikely heroes manage to elude capture by employing stoned creativity to stay out of reach of the dastardly Sgt. Stedenko (Stacy Keach). Happy accidents? Sure. But finding fortune ass-backwards is still a fortune, all the same.
It’s okay to be reasonably skeptical - Marty Mikalski
Sometimes the truth is far more malevolent than it appears. When five college friends embark on a secluded cabin trip, they learn this lesson the hard way in Drew Goddard’s horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods, a meta-bloodfest that dismantles the tropes by which horror movies function.
Among the afflicted is Marty (Fran Kranz), a dumb but lovable stoner whose erratic paranoia becomes a guiding voice of reason. His forward thinking transforms him into an avatar through which audiences can relate to in a horror setting. And despite his futile attempts to stop his friends from summoning vengeful spirits, his deceptively keen survival instincts prove spot-on.
If you fail, be brave enough to start over - Kunu the Surfing Instructor
Nicholas Stoller’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a generational breakup comedy that’s not shy about making statements. The only thing more boldfaced than a wide shot of Jason Segel’s manhood was how deeply we connected with the various walk-on characters throughout the movie.
In an attempt at spontaneity to overcome his breakup blues, Peter (Jason Segel) enlists the help of resident surf instructor Kunu (Paul Rudd), a 40-something glass eyed optimist who lives in his own little slice of nirvana. Empathetic to Peter’s grievances, he imparts some grade-A stoner wisdom that proudly reverberates through meme culture today: “when life gives you lemons, just say f**k the lemons and bail”.
Be relentless in your pursuits, no matter the cost - Doc Sportello
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice is a gonzo descent into abject hilarity that follows pothead detective Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) through a convoluted web of deceit to solve the case of his missing ex-girlfriend.
The film’s protagonist is a pastiche of Chinatown’s Jake Gittes if he got lost at a Grateful Dead concert. He’s a nosy, outspoken, fedora-sporting sleuth with strong instincts and an even stronger appetite for truth. These inquisitive munchies lead him through seedy, psychedelic rabbit holes but through it all, he never loses sight of the endgame and ultimately, the lines of demarcation between right and wrong.
If you want it, give it your best shot - Dukes
Semi Pro is a raucous sports comedy about a struggling basketball team in 1976. When star player/team owner Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) devises an attempt to cultivate viewership, he summons Dukes (Jackie Earle Haley), a fortunate hippie for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sink a full-court shot for the grand prize of $10,000.
Though he appears to be in a deep cannabis stupor, he miraculously makes the shot. The crowd goes nuts, he prances the court in triumph as Jackie Moon watches in disbelief--he can’t actually afford to pay him his prize money. Nevertheless, full-court shots are phenomena in themselves and for an unkempt hippie like Dukes to pull one off with all the marbles on the line, he’s an unexpected advocate for the importance of putting your best foot forward. Dramatic turn for the actor who once played Rorschach.
Live a life you genuinely enjoy - Jeff Spicoli
Face it, you knew this one was coming. Ridgemont High’s resident airhead, whom one student describes as being “stoned since the third grade” is the bar-none benchmark by which all other movie stoners have been measured for the last four decades. He fits every archetypal category one could ever ask for and in his own way, embodies every single trait we’ve discussed so far.
Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High was the first landmark high school film to explore weighty topics many teens actually go through: hormonal eruption, sexual inadequacy, unplanned pregnancy. Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) however, is the proud outlier. His sandy blonde hair and flowy mannerisms represented a transcendence of teenage despair, the rejection of a life lived on anyone else’s terms but his own. He might’ve been stoned since the third grade, but Spicolli’s absent-minded inspiration will forever remain inarguable. And don’t even get me started on his impact on Vans sales.