Rolling Kansas

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.

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.

The children of hippies find a map to the "magic forest of marijuana" and set out to find it before they must return for finals.

The plot of this movie is very simple (see above) and strikes me as the sort of thing MTV films would produce ("Porn and Chicken" or "Jailbait"?) but I guess it wasn't them. But the simple plot also doesn't matter, because the characters are incredibly funny.

One character in particular, Kevin, is amusing as he tries to find out if he's gay or not after a run-in with an old man and some "cutting implements". He's not sure if he's gay, but he knows he "likes dudes".

And Rip Torn, who is becoming known among the younger crowd for his characters after "Dodgeball", is great in this as a hitch-hiking gardener.

This review is poor, but seriously... good film. Thomas Haden Church is a great actor ("Sideways") and a respectable director.

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.

I almost gave up on this movie after 15 or 20 minutes. The characters are weird, the plot is weak, and the production value isn't all that impressive. However, the movie does start to pick up, and there are some genuinely funny parts. They kept the length reasonable, making this movie worth watching once.

I will say that I was expecting some more stoner comedy. For some reason -- maybe because they didn't want to be labeled a "stoner comedy" -- they shy away from any actual on-screen smoking (even though they already had an R rating). The plot revolves around trying to find a crop of weed, but most of the humor has nothing to do with the sweet herb. It's mostly just a bunch of weird dudes who are down on their luck looking to get paid.

All in all, I would call it decent. Not hilarious, but not unwatchable either.