Barack Obama has barely been in office for three months now, and already he has faced some tough decisions concerning the economy. Legislators have scrambled for ways to come up with money, leaving no stone unturned.
One enterprising California legislator has proposed the legalization and control of state-grown marijuana, an industry that could potentially be worth billions.
News like this, along with decriminalization efforts in Massachusetts among a number of other states, have made herb enthusiasts hopeful.
This can only mean that this year's 4/20 will be the most exciting in recent memory, and to celebrate, I thought I would engage in a quest to find the perfect stoner movie.
Many people already have certain movies high (get it?) on their lists, but movies like ""Half Baked"" or ""How High"" are too generic to be warranted for consideration. The perfect stoner movie contains elements of weed usage, but doesn't bash you over the head with the leaf. Stoners are already aware they're smoking and don't need a movie to remind them of that fact every 15 seconds.
Furthermore, movies that are too stupid should be disqualified. I've witnessed friends laugh at a blank wall for 45 minutes, so stupid movies can keep most entertained, but even all the weed in the Madison area can't mask the banal acting of ""Grandma's Boy"" or the stilted dialogue of ""Bio-Dome.""
Trippy movies like ""Yellow Submarine"" or ""Fantasia"" are also eliminated. Sure, they provide an all-encompassing experience and make you ""feel the music in your body, man,"" but psychedelic films like this can easily lull the viewer into a stupor, hypnotized by the Green Apple Bonkers of Pepperland or the army of walking brooms summoned by the Sorcerer's Apprentice.
The ideal movie for 4/20 needs to have a little bit of all the aforementioned elements, but most importantly, it needs to stand by itself as a great film. There are seemingly limitless movies that fit the description, but one stands highest in my mind: ""The Big Lebowski.""
Directed by the esteemed Coen brothers, ""The Big Lebowski"" is the story of The Dude and his quest to retrieve his rug.
The film certainly features marijuana usage, but cannabis is not The Dude's vice of choice, as he prefers a White Russian. The film may have its idiotic moments, but overall the dialogue is smart and endlessly quotable. And there are enough scenes of psychotropic madness to keep the day tripper satisfied, but not so many that the average viewer is overwhelmed by the spectacle.
Although no movie is guaranteed to satisfy everyone's taste, dollars to munchie-fueled donuts says that most will embrace ""The Big Lebowski.""
So on Monday, don't spend hours arguing about whether to watch ""The Brady Bunch Movie"" or ""Dazed and Confused."" If you're going to have an argument on 4/20, let it be about which flavor of Doritos you should buy at the Open Pantry and not about what film to watch.
Think ""Grandma's Boy"" is a groundbreaking film worthy of any critic's approval? E-mail Kevin at kevslane@gmail.com.
