Rolling Kansas

Ok. So i saw this movie yesterday at the USCAF 2003 and was graced with the presence of Haden Church for the screening. I always have a hard time watching a movie with the filmmakers (I know, poor me!) because I feel like I have to laugh and that my perception of the movie is changed) Yet the more I think about this movie the more I like it. It is like Road Trip minus the trite love story that always takes away from the film. Though it (sort of) has that element, it really isn't a big part of the movie. I already had a sweet spot for it when I saw Charlie Finn as one of the main characters (the Dimpus Burger guy from Super Troopers) who, I think, is f**king hilarious, though he will probably turn out to only play these kind of parts, the dim-witted yet charming stoner. ANYWAYS, the movie is funny. The characters are vibrant and funny, each carrying their weight of the movie equally well. Gratuitous nudity is always a plus, especially when the chick is smoking hot, and she is. Rip Torn has a sweet bit part as an old stoner, to which i was laughing so hard because, well... it is Rip Torn. It was also good to see the reunion of Thomas Haden Church and Kevin Pollack as comical cops

(the cops from 3000 Miles To Graceland.. awful movie) who are so good together I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with a movie where they were the main characters. It could definitely work and I for one would go see it. Well I'll quit rattling on and just say that if this movie hits theaters nationwide, definitely check it out.

Stoner comedies seem like the easiest type of movies to make. All it takes is a decent cast, a bunch of drug jokes, a good soundtrack, and a smattering of crude humor to make at least a somewhat enjoyable stoner comedy. However, as HOW HIGH proved, not all stoner comedies are funny. Some just downright suck. Luckily, ROLLING KANSAS isn't one of them. That's not to say that ROLLING KANSAS is going to be on my list of best stoner comedies any time soon, but it provided enough laughs to keep me entertained throughout its running time. It wasn't hilarious yet it was funnier than I expected it to be since I was expecting it to be really awful. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Every once in a while a movie comes out that you can show to the network of "friends that truly appreciate good movies" and everyone agrees that, indeed, this really is a good movie. Although a rare occasion, when the network shake their unanimous head in agreement, it is so. And as it should be with "Rolling Kansas". Having read the other lukewarm yet predictably lackluster review for this movie, I felt compelled to set the proverbial record straight and clear up a few things. Stoner comedy? Sure the movie has a loose affiliation to the herb if you're looking at the surface of things, but there's a lot more going on than there appears in this fine piece of film-making: Take a closer look and you'll notice that, with the exception of a flashback sequence in the movie's intro, NOBODY SMOKES ANYTHING THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE MOVIE! However, to make up for it, there's an abundance of random five star comedy, Mia Zotolli and Rip Torn's finest work in years and an unexpected twist at the end that you'd be hard pressed to see coming. Add to that a high-larious smaller part played by the writer/director and you have one of the funniest, most originally creative pieces of cinematography I've seen in a long time. But not everybody's into a good plot, believable characters and great directing. If not, go watch dumb and dumberer.

Rolling Kansas has the unique opportunity of actually being a good character driven film hidden beneath the paper mache surface of a stoner movie. A gaggle of young men, a car, a cooler of beer on a search of mythical medical marijuana oasis in Kansas. Need I say more, Yes! These guys are interesting, and they are funny dare I say that they have depth, but not in the traditional sense, more like we don't dumb ourselves down to be funny, depth. Yes, it is a silly movie with a silly premise, three brothers attempt to make a financial killing from harvesting pot that their parents found in Kansas when the boys were wee lads. They find a map and get the wheels, hyjinx ensu. Nothing new there, it's just that the pace and the dialog are actually engaging. Roll on kansas, roll on!

Everything in this weed-coated Thomas Haden Church adventure reminds me of almost any of the Beastie Boys music videos I've seen. Everything from the faded, washed-out, sepia-toned coloring to the fake mustaches worn by THC to conceal his identity as the agent and the state trooper.

It really makes me wonder why the Beasties haven't gotten THC to direct one of their newer videos. That would be cool :)

Anyway, the movie is one of the more original films I've seen lately. It isn't too deep, as popularized in newer films because of Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, etc. and it doesn't rely on expensive computer animation to keep people entertained a la The Specials, a movie featuring the almighty Church. Too bad that comedy is beginning to fail in the box office (and on network TV) or we'd start seeing more movies like this. Everybody already knows my favorite character is Dinkadoo... just look at my "net name". If I had to make a recommendation to anyone in order to see this film, I'd tell them that the film's humor is similar to Office Space (which I enjoy a lot).