Super High Me

After being told to watch this by various of my stoner friends, i decided to watch it on youtube. This film is a joke turned documentary, a parody of Super Size Me but with cannabis instead of MC Donald's. What i expected was to watch this guy smoke tons of weed and cover subjects related to it, both of which are seldomely met. The truth is, Super High Me consists mostly of Doug Benson stand up act. So for the majority, we just get jokes about being high with a pointless celebrity appearance here and there, with very little concerning the legislation of cannabis. The main point is this, watching someone be sober for 30 days, then be stoned for 30 days, isn't exactly what i'd call entertainment or quality film-making.

There's only about 3/4 tests. One for psychic ability (is there a point?), One for SAT scores, One for Sperm Count, and one for basic intelligence i guess you'd say. Each of these are covered with about 30-40 seconds of screen time, twice in the movie, so your obviously not getting a lot of information for the majority. This movie pretty much just glamorizes California throughout, cause thats the subject most covered. Yes they have dispendencys with different types of pot, yes they have DEA take downs, and yes they have medical mary jane. I covered that in a, probably grammar incorrect, sentence. Here, its covered for about 12-18 minutes, very boring. And for a movie called Super High Me, i expected to see way more usage. There's a surprising lack of content, and as i said before, the majority of the movie is his stand up act.

The actual production is pretty limited. Basically a guy follows Doug around with a camera, not much else, no interview shots are planned or anything like a normal documentary, the only shot setups i really noticed are those of his stand up act, so pretty much its just a guy with a camera filming people talking. No questions are really asked, instead we just have stoners talking about gibberish regarding pot (Although that pot prince guy was pretty hilarious). The sound balance is uneven, at times music will play and render a speaker inaudible. The interviewees don't exactly have any significance, at one point one there is Brian Posehn, who just eats his burger, doesn't say crap, and the scene ends, and also one with his co-star Sarah Silverman, just taking some type of rip from some type of vaporizer, the guitarists of janes addiction is there playing some chords not saying a thing, the scene ends. This is pretty much proof that someone in the crew has to be sober for a movie to be good.

So pretty much all you have here is stand up, which at times, is actually pretty funny. The actual focus of the documentary, isn't exactly 'focused'. Stoners just aren't that interesting, they smoke pot, and sit back and be lazy, thats about it. I'm a pothead who smokes pretty damn often, and i wasn't exactly impressed. Smoke a blunt and watch something a little bit more worthwhile like half baked or harold and kumar, this isn't really a entertaining or groundbreaking documentary. If your really interested in the effects and culture of cannabis, check out bbc's show Should I Smoke Dope, its pretty much what this should have been.

This film is a lighthearted, funny, and wholesome presentation of (1) the conflict between state medical marijuana laws and federal anti-drug laws, and (2) the evidence that marijuana can't do you much harm. If you are steeped in cannabis culture or follow legal developments concerning medical marijuana, none of the information will be new to you. You already know that the war on drugs is out of step with the science about cannabis use, and you know the current state of the law affecting medical dispensaries. Benson is likable and wholesome, and the movie is pleasant and funny. Because the movie is not dense or righteous, it has the capacity to reach interested folks who aren't already in the know and don't want to hear a rant about legalization.

While I agree that this is not the most political nor the most medically conclusive of documentaries, it seems to me that this misses the whole point of what the filmmakers were trying to do. There is no need for another "Grass" type documentary -- as that one already exists. Super High Me is a comedy first and a documentary second. And that's OK. More than OK, it might even be better, because it has the potential (since it is funny and entertaining as well as informative) to reach a wider audience and make more people aware of the entire medical marijuana issue, the existence of 'dispensaries' in California and the conflict between state and federal laws.

So is there another more activist documentary to be made about medical marijuana? Sure. But it would probably be boring and no one would really go see it. (Kinda like the fate of "Grass" for example.) This one is fun AND informative. And it will probably do very well and get more people talking about the issues, even more than if it were a "real" documentary.

For fans of Doug Benson's comedy, be it stand-up or "Best Week Ever", you'll get more out of this documentary on him as he goes 30 days with weed and 30 days without then other viewers. If one goes into the film expecting an intelligent documentary on the pros Vs. cons of weed you'll be vastly disappointed. One only needs to know that this was made 'in cahoots' (the film's words not mine) with 420 Partners Llc to know which side of the fence this film firmly sits on and thus skews the 'infomation' in that direction and to suit it's need. Propaganda in a way, not to say it's not (vaquely) entertaining in bits and pieces, it is. Just go into the film knowing that it's slanted and you'll be fine.

My Grade: C-

It's 4/20 and I couldn't have found a more appropriate date to watch this movie. It stars comedian Doug Benson, who I knew from The Marijuana-Logues.

As Benson describes in the beginning of the film, the basic premise is like the one in "Super Size Me", but with pot instead of McDonald's.

He goes through 30 days of "detox" only to spend another 30 days smoking marijuana non-stop. He has 'tests' done, interviews a bunch of other comedians and his stand-up routines all intertwined with the 'experiment'. This makes for a nice, light-hearted, fun movie. There's offensive language, but it's what you'd expect from stand-up comedians.

Stoners will certainly find something to enjoy here. And although this movie is a comedy and Doug claims he just wants to get stoned, there are a few key moments in the film that show people who actually need medical marijuana and the ridiculous state of affairs in which the DEA violates state laws and makes things difficult for folks that are in pain - these moments are intense and sad. One can only hope this will change in the near future.

Had this movie turned into a more political direction, it would be deserving of a much higher mark, in my opinion. As it stands, it's a nice and funny movie about pot and I'm glad I had the chance to watch this today and celebrate.

Peace out, 8/10