The Best 420 Stoner Movies of All Time

Let’s get this out of the way, Dazed & Confused is not on this countdown.  While it is a great film, it just has too many “coming of age” elements that break rule #3.  So if you’re looking for a stoner movie that takes place over the course of one day in the 1970s but was filmed in the 1990s, The Stoned Age might be a better option.  Following two stoners on a nightly quest for girls, booze, and weed, some might think the plot and dialogue in this one might be a little antiquated or offensive.  Honestly, it kinda is, but so were the seventies.

Though many might not consider it a traditional stoner movie, Super Troopers has main characters who smoke, a plot line that centers around marijuana, and practically no sappiness. The opening scene also serves as an absolutely perfect comedic recreation of every stoner’s worst fear.

Anyone who enjoyed all of Kevin Smith’s earlier films (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma) was elated when mainstay stoners of the series Jay & Silent Bob were finally given their own movie. What followed was an instant classic stoner road trip film with tons of celebrity cameos and an ample serving of hilarious hijinx.

The only “musical-ish” movie in this countdown, Pick of Destiny tells the story of the formation and quest for rock greatness of stoners Jack Black and Kyle Gass, collectively known as Tenacious D.  As they search for an elusive guitar pick, they encounter car chases, sasquatches, and a battle with the devil that concludes in the most 420-way imaginable.

A film far funnier than many would expect, Grandma’s Boy follows Alex, a pot-smoking video game tester forced to live with his grandmother after his roommate spends his rent money on Filipino prostitutes. Featuring great music, incredible comedic performances, and a very weed-friendly feel, this is definitely a hidden gem in the scope of stoner movies.

Created by and starring comedy troupe “The Whitest Kids U Know,” The Civil War on Drugs is also one of the lesser-known films on this list. The movie follows two characters living in Virginia in the early 1860s. After discovering and falling in love with marijuana, they incorrectly believe that the Civil War is being fought over marijuana’s legalization status. Admittedly, a stoner movie with a subplot involving slavery might seem like a bad idea, but The Civil War on Drugs finds a way to make it work.

When a group of stoners (headed by Dave Chappelle) need to raise money to bail a friend out of jail, they stick to what they know; they sell weed. What follows is everything from flying dogs to the ghost of Jerry Garcia. Though the film does contain a love story and an eventual lifestyle change for our main character, Half Baked is easily one the funniest pot-friendly movies made and in many ways serves as a blueprint for the modern stoner flick.

As the inspiration for one of today’s most popular strains, Pineapple Express took the structure of Half Baked and fine tuned it to near perfection. Combining action, comedy, Seth Rogen, and a whole lot of pot, the film seemingly has no lulls and delivers on all of the aspects that make stoner movies great. Keep your pipes and papers at close reach. You won’t want to put them down.

If no one ever taught you the etiquette “puff puff give,” you probably learned it from Chris Tucker’s “Smokey.” Friday obviously delivers on comedy and action, but where it truly exceeds is in its presentation of marijuana culture. It seamlessly takes you to a time when a good friend, a day off, and a poorly-rolled joint were the only prerequisites for a good time. Combine that with one of the best soundtracks ever, and you’re left with the second best stoner movie ever made.

The one that started it all. When you think “stoner movie,” it’s hard to not think about Cheech & Chong. The genre itself was established with the release of “Up in Smoke,” and the sequence involving Chong sharing a “quarter pounder” joint with Cheech has been constantly imitated both in other films and real life. Though the duo would go on to make several other great 420 friendly movies, “Up in Smoke” remains their opus.