Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Reefer Madness is fun, quirky, clever and exciting. A perfect spoof of the original Reefer Madness (also known as 'Tell Your Children').

The cast is a breath of fresh air, with Christian Campbell and Kristen Bell playing the high-school sweethearts soon to fall victim to 'reefer madness', Alan Cumming as the lecturer against the evils of the reefer (the narrator) and several other characters, and Neve Campbell playing the proprietor of the Soda shop.

Even more so than in the TV show Veronica Mars, Kristen Bell is simply adorable. Whether she is playing an angelic do-gooder, a dominatrix, or a teenage PI, you simply can not go past the star dust emanating from Kristen Bell. She has amazing vocal strength and uses it perfectly in this film.

This film is so much better than the 1936 trash-fest that no mere comparison can do it justice. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical is a smart, funny, and well performed parody of American paranoia, using the original Reefer Madness plot as a launching point to satirize McCarthy, fundamentalism, race, and the obsession with privilege, wealth and 'breeding' which have so sadly marred our history.

Unlike the original, nearly everything in this production is done right. The likable characters are the good ones, and the villains are truly despicable. The addition of a decent set of amusing tunes helps to keep the plot moving along (one of the biggest failures of the original film was the inconsistent and often painfully drawn out plot), and the use of some talented Broadway players (Christian Campbell and Kristen Bell are particularly fun to watch) as well as a script guided by rational thought as opposed to ignorance (as was the case in 1936), all make this film unusually entertaining and funny (the author generally dislikes straight comedies and has very high standards for musicals).

(Sorry for all the parenthetical statements) Most of you are probably aware of the plot, so I will summarize what distinguishes this from the original rather than simply summarizing the film. This version of Reefer Madness is less a paranoid right-wing attack on marijuana use than an amusing musical which compares the pot-scares that inspired the original film in 1936 to McCarthyism, fundamentalism, racism and various other ethical pathologies America has faced in its history (and today). The film does not promote marijuana use, but does play up the absurdity of the arguments that make it appear to be more harmful than, for example, cigarettes, alcohol, heroin, etc - all of which have been or were, at one time, used by the drug's most vocal enemies.

Jimmy Harper, in his voyage from an all-American high school kid to a dope-fiend, meets Satan, Jesus, Joan of Arc, the undead, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt along the way, ending up in a lot of trouble with the law. Spurning his high school sweet heart and terrifying his family, Jimmy sinks deeper and deeper into a pot-crazed state of insatiable lust, violence and - of course - jazz. Finally, this version ends differently from the 1936 film - but I won't give away the conclusion.

For me, giving a musical comedy a 7 is some of the highest praise I can give (The Wizard of Oz, Tommy and Singin in the Rain get 9s), so, if you're into this kind of thing, you really should check this one out.

For those of you who get Showtime, watch this show! For those who do not, cozy up to someone who has the channel, promise to bring really yummy munchies, and wheedle an invitation to watch it. This movie - think of it as South Park guys Trey and Parker given free license to create a live musical - exceeded every expectation for an "originals" picture. The songs were lively, the dance numbers way over the top. There were a couple of slow moments early in the movie but they were only there to contrast with the madness to come. This should have been released to theaters, but I suspect that someday it will be. Destined to become a cult classic, this film seems to have been made to become the replacement for the moldy Rocky Horror Picture Show for serial Saturday midnight airings. Get out your fake blood, your garish evening dresses, your tacky lingerie, your devil's horns and your Jesus robes. This movie will be around for a long, long while.

Tonight on show time I watched the pure genius that is Reefer Madness! As musical theatre lover I appreciated the movie right at the beginning when the school play was "Green Grows The Lilacs" which is the play that the musical "Oklahoma" was based on. Not only though was this movie hysterical the whole way through, but the music was incredible and the lyrics and book were outstanding, but on top of it all IT WAS SMART! To take an old movie like Reefer Madness and turn it into a musical and a political satire was pure brilliant! All the performances were outstanding as well, but to me Ana Gyster stole the show! She is just incredible, her voice, her comedic timing, and every little nuance she adds to make that character hers! Christian Campell was also amazing! In fact there was no performance or part of this movie that was wrong...if you're smart and have a good sense of humor you'll LOVE IT! And if I could rate this movie higher than a 10 I would! P.S Rob Torti rocks my world!

Reefer Madness should give us all new hope for the return of the movie-musical genre and the sweet days of Rocky Horror-style comedy! I love it when a musical is adapted from stage to screen, and the director takes full advantage of things that can be done in a movie that cannot be realized on stage. Reefer Madness takes full advantage of its film medium while still maintaining an unfailing sense of theatricality. The direction, choreography and vocal performances are fantastic.

This awesome movie is flawlessly cast and realized. It's a must-see for any fans of musicals, intelligent comedy and, well, weed.