ALauff What's the point of making a parody of an unintentionally funny movie, at least one as self-evidently specious as Reefer Madness? Not unlike hearing a really bad joke and then being subjected to an endless explanation of its underlying humor, RM: TMM riffs even more exaggeratedly on everything from the 1936 film that's been disproved by advances in science and psychology. However, the real subject of this ugly, unfunny movie is moral revisionism, i.e., pretending that our enlightened age is safe from the prejudices and errant thinking of previous generations. It's quite a snide little film, taking safe jabs at a perceived backward era without adding anything substantive to the mix. This is the height of lazy thinking and broad, liberal pandering, as if a couple of psych-major potheads screened the original film, got all indignant, and decided to decry its factual inaccuracies in musical form. Of course it screened at Sundance and of course it was heralded as a comedy gem.

ironhorse_iv While, personally I don't smoke the stuff, I found this movie to be very entertaining. Reefer Madness is not only one of my favorite musicals, but one of the most unheard gens in musical theater. The 2005 made-for-television Showtime musical comedy film directed Andy Fickman was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical of the same name based on the 1936 exploitation film also of the same name. The 1930s crusade against marijuana, with the Hollywood Hays Code and prejudice directed at racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, labor unions, gays and lesbians is just awfully stupid, so I was glad to hear a movie playing fun of it. With an all-star cast, this satire movie brings some of the best songs I have ever heard in any musical while making fun of the paranoid over-reaction and over-politicizing of the original Tell the Truth program. The production quality is great. The set actually looks decent for a TV movie. The comedy is objectively funny as well, and the 30's were quite ridiculously white-bread about legality equal morality. In a high school classroom, there is a Tell the Truth meeting going on in a black and white color scheme. The Lecturer (Alan Cumming) tells the assembly of anxious parents about the evils of marijuana. It's here, we get to hear the opening song, Reefer Madness theme song by the Steven Colbert look alike. Alan Cumming's voice is awesome! So deliciously creepy! The movie then opens in color showing a young man, Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) a fine upstanding youth, blessed with his love for his girlfriend Mary Lane (Kristen Bell). Both actors reprise their roles from the stage as they continue to be charming, and cute. Jimmy's got some crazy ass pipes in his lung in his singing. Kristen is an amazing singer and she can really dance. The two are so in love, they quote and sing 'Romeo and Juliet', not really knowing the ending to that story. The word play in the Romeo and Juliet song is very witty, and watching Shakespeare shaking his head was just hilarious. However, across town, the sadistic weed-pusher, Jack Stone (Steven Weber), and his cronies, neurotic whore Sally DeBanis (Amy Spanger), moll Mae Coleman (Ana Gasteyer), former college student Ralph Wiley (John Kassir), are living in the depths of depravity looking for their next victim. Steven Weber plays the over the top gangster, while Ana Gasteyers gives one hell of a performance singing the song 'The Stuff'. The stuff is a great song by Ana. She plays it over the top as well as straight. Did you know the guy who plays Ralph is the voice of The Cryptkeeper in Tales of the Crypts? John Kassir also worked on the stage version. Anyways, the drug pushers meet Jimmy at the local soda counter during the 'Down at the Ol' Five and Dime' musical number. I really don't like this song, but the dancing is great. Nothing to say about this, but a small cameo by Neve Campbell as Miss Poppy, despite getting third billing. Here's an explanation for Neve Campbell: Originally she was supposed to play Mary Jane in this film adaption but that would have been very weird what with her brother playing Jimmy, so she got recast as Miss Poppy. Also she had a little more character development in the original show as someone who was secretly working for Jack and helped him find kids to push reefer on. Here, she's just a three minute character. So John Carradine like movie. Jimmy get hook on the stuff after one hit taking him to the 'Orgy' song number. Once again, not a good song, but good dance number. I love Jimmy's face after he takes a hit. It made me laugh. So if I take a toke, I will be whisked away to a island of orgy loving barely clad men and women who smoke weed and worship a goat-demon deity named Moloch. Seems legit. The next two songs 'Lonely Pew' and "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy' are amazing. Robert Torti, who played both Jack and Jesus on-stage, portrays only the latter in the film version. I don't find this to really be sacrilegious. I mean, it's not a demeaning portrayal of Jesus; if anything, it just makes him look more awesome. And I would also like to believe that Jesus would kid around a little bit, because God obviously has a sense of humor. 'Lonely Pew' was an add song. Not in the original show. Jimmy continue to fall into madness, getting frame for murder. Only stopping to question himself with 'Mary Jane/Mary Lane'. This song is the best in the movie. Jimmy eats the brownie and immediately forgets all about Mary ("The Brownie Song"). This song is awful, but at less it's short. It's replace a song just known as the monkey song. I would have just cut both songs from the movie. Not only does Jimmy get into a mess, but Mary who plan to rescue him, but instead get hook during the 'Little Mary Sunshine' number. Mary transforms from your simple high school sweetheart into a sadistic, whip cracking dominatrix. The movie go all Macbeth with the 'Murder' number and end with semi tragedy. Overall, this was incredibly entertaining! I was choking on laughter all the way through! I could hardly breathe, it was so hysterical! My only complaint is that still the drug trade does in fact destroy lives, and the movie does make light of it. I fully acknowledge that Marijuana is just as bad as alcohol as far as addiction and incapacitation, but this movie doesn't give you a right to dumb yourself down by Mary Jane. But this is not a debate that doesn't needs not happen here, so just enjoy the movie for its silliness. Can Jimmy get out of the murder rap and save Mary from Reefer Madness? You just have to watch to find out.

kosmasp It's just so damn funny and even if you're not the biggest musical fan (I know that I'm not a big fan), you will enjoy those musical numbers/interludes or what you want to call them! It's just so crazy (in a good way), that you can't imagine that something similar to this might have been made in the past ... but the movie connection shows here, that there is indeed a movie from the 30s. And this is a ... "remake" of sorts(?)! (I've got to get my hands on the original movie ... it's got to be great fun ... although it was not intended to be!!)The cast clearly had a blast making this movie and that elevates it even more. The humour is great, the timing is fantastic, only one or two musical numbers do feel out of place (to me) ... but other than that ... GREAT! A real (reefer) MADNESS! ;o) If you like crazy/non-PC movies, than go out (rent) and watch this!

fwomp I'm not mad, I tell you! I'm not! It just soothes my nerves. A little reefer never hurt anyone, right? Right?! Don't listen to that cretin who comes to town to explain the dangers of "marihuana." That lecturer (Alan Cumming, X-MEN 2) is the true enemy. He feeds fear into your hearts and minds (Bushism?)! He is the one fertilizing your prejudices. That film he shows you? All lies! One hit of the "deadly reefer" does not drive you toward insanity. It doesn't, I tell you! Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell, PRETTY DEAD GIRL) is alive and well, I say! He lives in Humboldt County, California (or was it Berkeley), caring for his wife, Mary Lane (Kirsten Bell, VERONICA MARS) and their thirteen children. Their lives DO NOT (do you hear me!) mimic Romeo and Juliet's in any way! Fatalistic nihilism my butt! Jack Stone (Steven Weber, WILL & GRACE) is a nice businessman. He sells pots and seeds (okay, so some of them look a bit suspicious but COME ON!) And when Mae Coleman (Ana Gasteyer, Saturday NIGHT LIVE) yells at him, well, she deserves what she gets! And invoking a song by Jesus! Oh, puhlllease! Is this really necessary? I touched "marihuana" once (well, maybe ten times ...this week) but that doesn't mean I need divine intervention from a Tom Jones-ish Christ figure who belts out Vegas-style songs from the cross, does it? I think not.And what about Ralph (John Kassir, TALES FROM THE CRYPT)? That poor, misunderstood cannibal. If you leave him alone without food of course he's going to revert back to his man-eating methods. Can we really judge him so plainly? This show is a sham, I tell you! A sham! And I won't stand for it! That lecturer is the true drug. He's the addiction. Believe him not! (This review in no way condones the use of ignorance by the makers of the original Reefer Madness — 1937 — nor is its intent to sway those with a penchant for drugs, sex, and more drugs away from their chosen recreation)