Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke was the duo's first movie after finding success with a stand-up comedy show and several comedy recordings. The movie's plot isn't all that deep or involving - it is just the misadventures of two guys who are stoned out of their minds for most of the movie. Though some of the gags are still funny, the hit and miss ratio trends more towards the miss side.
Up in Smoke begins when Chong, whose character is credited as "Man," is kicked out of his father's home. He eventually hitches a ride with Pedro (Cheech Marin) and the two soon become friends over a joint that, except for the one in Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part I, has to be one of the largest ever rolled. Predictably, the two are so stoned that the police manage to easily catch them. After their release from prison, the duo strikes out to score more pot.
Eventually, the two stoners manage to avoid a drug raid by Sgt. Stedenko (Stacy Keach) and somehow end up in Tijuana. In order to get back to the US, Pedro contacts his uncle who owns an upholstery business. However, they walk into the wrong shop and unknowingly find themselves wrapped up with a drug cartel that plans on smuggling drugs into the US using van constructed with sprayed-on marijuana.
Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke: Special Collector's Edition features commentary by Cheech Marin and Lou Adler, the director. Some of the information contained in the commentary is interesting, though for the most part, you end up feeling like the outsider listening in on a conversation between two old college buddies. Also included is a short documentary called "Lighting it Up," which features Cheech and Chong talking about their early career and how the movie came about. Eight deleted scenes are included, as well as an animated video for the in-movie song, "Earache My Eye," and "The Man Song," which is really just a collection of scenes where the word "Man" is used in the movie.
Again, Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke never really goes beyond insane drug use or repetitive drug references. This may offend some viewers who detest anything that glorifies drugs in any way, though some of the jokes may also offend viewers who detest over-used, dated jokes. It is not that Up in Smoke isn't funny - there are several enjoyable, funny moments - but they don't work as well as they did back when the movie was originally released. Even if you remember enjoying the movie back in the day, this is probably a better rental.
