Far Out Man

I had zero expectations going into this film but, OK maybe I thought it was really going to stink.

It didn't.

Sure, it doesn't have the subversive, cool, heady tripping of a Cheech & Chong flick and Tommy's casting his talentless wife in a lead role was way wrong, but there are still enough cool clips to keep your attention.

One of the things that's sort of distracting about this film production is the excessive number of scenes that appear to be obviously overdubbed. Must have been a one take fix it later wonder film!

Far Out Man (1990)

** (out of 4)

Tommy Chong wrote, directed and stars in this film as an aging hippie who goes on a road trip to try and get all of his family back together. If you're going into FAR OUT MAN expecting some sort of story then you're going to be disappointed because what we've got here is basically Chong getting some family and some famous friends together for a bunch of scenes involving him doing weird or dumb things. At the start of the film we see him fixing breakfast, dropping stuff on the floor and picking it back up to cook. This here, as well as the pot humor, is pretty much the type of laughs Chong goes for and for the most part it's a complete dud. With that said, as bad and as strange as this movie is, there's just something intriguing about it that makes it worth viewing if you're a fan of Chong. The film certainly has an "I don't care what you think" type of attitude for it. I mean, I doubt Chong was trying to win an Oscar for this thing and it's clear that he's just kicking back and having fun. The supporting cast includes a wide variety of famous faces including Martin Mull, Rae Dawn Chong, C. Thomas Howell, Reynaldo Rey, Judd Nelson, Michael Winslow and a cameo that I won't ruin. For the most part, with the exception of Martin, no one is taking their parts all that serious and it seems everyone is just helping Chong as a favor. FAR OUT MAN often fails when it comes to laughs but I think it still remains entertaining due in large part to Chong and his fun nature.

I liked this movie. It has some lame moments, but then I think all of the C&C, except for Up In Smoke (an absolute classic), have a few of those. I'd rate this better than Still Smokin' and definitely a step above The Corsican Brothers (which I really didn't care for).

Cheech & Chong had a hard time of it thru the 80's, with the Drug Wars in full swing, and were basically blackballed from Hollywood. Cheech caved in, and went "straight" to keep working (since he is the son of a cop, I can't blame him too much). Tommy never gave up, and suffered for it. This movie was an attempt to make a little money, and I think the main reason the family fills out the cast is because they would work cheap. The few others (C. Thomas Howell, Michael Winslow, Judd Nelson) are in this film mostly as favors, including the cameo by Cheech. Don't take this as gospel, it is just what I've heard thru the grapevine. I also heard they almost didn't get this film published, the "heat" was still on.

The plot is thin, but so is the plot in every other C&C movie. Cheesy at times, it still has some great lines and a few laugh out loud moments. Oscar material it ain't, but as a silly stoner movie it isn't half bad. If you are looking for Northern Lights, the commercial Mex quality will disappoint. Don't expect too much, and you'll probably enjoy it.

Pull up a dick and have a seat.

All units, we have a report of a crazy mutha-fuka with a gun... a crazy mutha-fuka with a gun.

Don't listen to any of the other negative comments about this movie until you've seen it.

This movie is awesome! One of my all time favorites.

To me it is a classic. Plus this movie has some art, and very unique parts too.

It is really really funny. Feed your head and sit back for an awesome ride!!

J

If you are a big fan of the Cheech and Chong films,you might want to give Far out Man a try, but unless youre really starved for Tommy Chong and his Hippie comedy, I say to stay Far Out of this movie's way. The plot is rather thin, the humor is far-placed and unfunny, and overall I'd say that this film is quite boring. You'll get to see Chong's son and daughter, along with his wife--all of whom can't act in the slightest, and take up large portions of the movie. It's basically a home video, which he probably put together just to have a good time with the family. I'm sure it was great fun for them, but for us it's only a lame film.