The 6 best movies based on marijuana

Published on: 22/08/2024

The world of cinema has often dealt with cannabis, but what do we think are the most successful films on the subject?

Welcome back, today we would like to deal with a lighter topic, and for that we would like to offer you our special ranking of the most interesting movies based on marijuana.

Cinema has often dealt with the world of soft drugs, whether in a serious, comic, tragic or dramatic vein; in fact, the topic lends itself to the most diverse representations.

In this article we will offer a top 6 of our favorite marijuana movies, taking into account various factors such as verisimilitude and originality. Of course, as with all art forms, our opinion is entirely subjective, we make no claim to objectivity, but we have reasoned according to our own taste and sensibility.

We will surely forget some films, probably make you angry, disappoint you, but be patient, it is just a fun exercise to give you some more food for thought and maybe propose you some films you don’t know or want to watch again.

Well, we hope you enjoy this list of ours, but before we begin, we would like to remind you that we in no way want to encourage any illicit or illegal behavior.

On Justbob you can only find strictly legal products such as CBD oil and legal hashish and our articles are for informational and popular purposes only.

With that said, we leave you with the article, enjoy your reading!

Blow-the true story of George Jung

Here we are at the beginning of our awards ceremony, we feel like we are at the Oscars, we even dusted off our most elegant dress from the closet for the evening!

We really hope we won’t disappoint you and forget your favorite movie, if so, please bear with us. It would be nice to know what your personal rankings are and whether you agree with us; we have made an effort to please all tastes, should we not have succeeded, to quote Bob Marley “get up, stand up, stand up for your movies!”

Well, silence in the hall, the awards ceremony can begin:

the sixth runner-up is Blow, a 2001 film by Ted Demme, starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

The film tells the incredible true story of George Jung, an American boy who from the 1970s on becomes one of the most wanted drug traffickers in recent history.

George, played to great effect by a young Johnny Depp in great form, will start from running a small marijuana trade to meeting and working for Pablo Escobar, gaining his esteem and respect.

The story chronicles his rise and fall, a natural parable for those who undertake such ventures. In its own way, the film is meant to be a work with also moral intentions because the protagonist initially performs his actions solely for money and personal enrichment, leaving out important things like family and love.

In the end, but we don’t want to give too many spoilers, perhaps he will understand the lesson and realize that it probably wasn’t too worth it because the house always wins.

The film at the time was not so successful with audiences, it was average with critics, without much enthusiasm, but over the years it has become a real cult especially for those who appreciate the genre.

It also has a great soundtrack, you can listen to Cream, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, which will get you into the typical joyous and wild atmosphere of the 1970s!

This film is recommended for those who like crime stories of redemption, action movies based on true stories and those who like to relive the mood of the 70s/80s, such a free and fascinating decade!

Read also: Cannabis and religion: tracing the roots of marijuana across sacred traditions

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

In fifth position we find Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back made by Kevin Smith, director of Tusk, Clerks and Dogma, much appreciated here in the editorial office!

This is a grotesque, highly original comedy in the director’s style, with many outstanding appearances such as those of Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Ben Affleck, George Carlin and Chris Rock.

The main characters are Jay and Silent Bob (the director himself), a pair of friends marijuana enthusiasts, who discover to their amazement that their bizarre and absurd affairs are going to be used by Hollywood to make a movie about it!

Too bad the producers have not contacted them, and our heroes, already characters in an underground comic book, will not be involved in any way, nor will they see a dollar from the film. Those who already know Jay and Bob, characters who have appeared in other films by the director, know very well that they are calm and serene, but if there is one thing they do not accept it is injustice, better not make them angry!

We don’t want to anticipate anything because the story is very funny, full of twists and turns, a real monument to creative freedom!

It is a typical marijuana comedy, not quite on fire, staggering, without much logical thread, but with great truths and insights, and above all really funny!

Recommended for those who like unusual, unique and unpredictable films.

But will our heroes be able to defeat Hollywood? We invite you to find out!

The Big Lebowski

This film is not a film focused exclusively on marijuana but, in our opinion, has the spirit and mood of it.

Therefore, we decided to include it in the ranking, and put it in the fourth position, despite the fact that it is such a unique film that it is unclassifiable.

For those who are not familiar with it, (but it seems strange to us, in case you remediate and run to see it!) it is a true cult film of the late 1990s.

The main character, The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, is a veteran of the ’68, counterculture, hippy world, and he particularly loves marijuana. For this reason he always appears peaceful and serene despite the absurd events that will affect him.

It is a film that has a long line of fans who quote his lines by heart, full of funny and psychedelic gags, surreal and dreamlike, ideal for group viewing.

The film tells of kidnappings, plots and intrigue, but also bowling tournaments, unlikely friendships and adventures always on the edge of sobriety!

You will find incredible characters who have remained in the imagination such as Walter, Donnie, the Nihilists, Jesus, and many others. A choral film with a legendary cast and a free and nonconformist spirit, impossible to imitate!

The film tells the spirit of cannabis in full because it is so visionary and grotesque, lisergic and crazy, with logical leaps and altered perception; it seems like the result of a great trip!

Also not to be overlooked, amidst so much craziness, is the clever satire on the war in Vietnam and Iraq and the jabs at conservatives and prohibitionists.

Recommended for those who like bowling, surreal comedy and White Russian!

Memorable soundtrack, from Bob Dylan to Credence, Nina Simone to Elvis Costello.

If this movie teaches anything, it is that there is nothing so bad and negative that a good game of bowling can’t solve!

Super High Me

In third place, on the podium, we find this entertaining documentary about the world of cannabis, born in the wake of King size me (an investigative film about fast-food restaurants).

From a documentary about marijuana you would expect a serious and alarmist work, putting cannabis in a bad light and listing its side effects, but none of that!

In fact, we are talking about a lighthearted and entertaining film that analyzes, in a serious but not overly so, the effects of marijuana on the human organism. The main character went through 30 days of compulsive cannabis use and compared the effects on his body to an equally long period of sobriety.

What is shocking, but not to be taken as absolute truth, is that looking at the blood tests and other medical results, it does not appear that marijuana made any negative and significant changes on his body!

To the amazement of the director himself, the only bad thing that happened was the actor’s weight gain, who after smoking, had an understandable and justified chemical hunger that led him to ingest anything with extreme voracity!

Otherwise, no problems recorded, even according to opinions of doctors interviewed. Obviously, this is a non-objective and biased documentary, but we recommend it to pro-marijuana activists, for some extra talking points.

The film has not been well reviewed by critics but we recommend it to watch as a group, without a lot of pretense, it is not Ken Loach, but neither is Michael Moore!

In the U.S. the film was released on April 20, we don’t feel that we need to explain why!

Saving Grace

The runner-up, silver medalist of our special podium, is a now iconic film, a milestone of the genre: Saving Grace!

Small personal parenthesis: the writer saw it in school, at the age of 12, thanks to a maverick teacher, without any parents objecting.

Which was obvious, in the early 2000s, but today we fear would trigger quite a few controversies, outraged committees and social campaigns calling for the principal’s resignation!

True story: after the film, neither I nor my young classmates suddenly became users of illicit substances!

The story, we are sure you already know it, tells of a kind middle-aged lady who upon the death of her husband finds herself full of debt and to avoid losing her home, decides, with the help of her gardener to convert her orchid cultivation into a marijuana cultivation.

The funny thing is to see such an elegant and respectable lady suddenly having to deal with the world of drug dealers and petty criminals; funny and comical equivocations will develop, but without great exaggeration, and Grace will manage to stand up for herself even in this ruthless illegal market.

The film is set in Cornwall and has some really picturesque locations, precisely it was shot in Port Isaac, St Endellion, Boscastle, St. Tudy and Trebarwith Strand.

It is such a kind and nice film that it can hardly make even the strictest people angry. The film has a happy ending, but we don’t want to reveal anything, although we find it really hard that anyone hasn’t seen it, but maybe it’s us being too old!

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

We have reached the top of our podium, so we clear our voices and in a solemn tone proclaim the winner of our special ranking:

the winner is Lock and Stock!

We already hear your objections, but let us explain, we are well aware that this is not a film entirely based on the world of cannabis, it treats the topic in a sideways way, but in our opinion it perfectly captures the spirit of the cannabis universe.

This film by Guy Ritchie, starring a young Jason Statham and the debutant former football player, a very credible and surprising Vinnie Jones, is a perfect example of a funny gangster movie that veers toward black comedy with bright, lively dialogue and truly hilarious situations.

The film looks like something out of the pen of Irvine Welsh, it feels like an action Trainspotting, more adrenaline-fueled but at the same time lighter thanks to its comedy tones.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was a worldwide success despite its low budget and still has admirers all over the world.

So we, in stark contrast, also to surprise you a bit, nominate it best marijuana film, even if in a broad sense!

Read also: What is HHC and what are its characteristics?

Conclusion

We hope that you enjoyed our ranking, that it will make you discover new films or make you want to see some again that you had forgotten and hadn’t thought about for a long time.

We wanted to reward the originality of the films and the importance they had at the time in the debate around marijuana. Some of them, such as the winner, for example, do not deal with cannabis in such a central way, but it seems to us to fully capture the wild and crazy spirit of the classification.

Moreover, we have tried, we hope we have succeeded, to cater to all tastes, we have mentioned films of all genres, comedies, documentaries, albeit playful, action films, biographical comedians and gangster movies.

Well, in the hope that we have entertained you and been helpful, we remind you that you can find many legal products like CBD in our shop.
We hope to see you soon on the pages of Justbob, see you soon!

Takeaways

• The world of cinema has tackled the subject of cannabis in various ways, from comedies to dramas. This indicates how versatile the theme is and how it can adapt to multiple narrative facets.
• Some films, like “Blow,” perfectly capture the joyful and rebellious atmosphere of past decades, offering a nostalgic and engaging look into an era of freedom and transgression.
• Works like “Super High Me” demonstrate that even documentaries about marijuana can be entertaining and light-hearted, providing a different and often surprising perspective on the substance’s use.
• Films like “The Big Lebowski” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” skillfully blend social satire with humor, offering a humorous and often surreal look at cannabis culture.
• Not all films in the ranking are strictly focused on marijuana, but they have been selected for their ability to capture the spirit of cannabis culture in unique and innovative ways, demonstrating that originality is often rewarded in cinematic art.

FAQ

What is the film Blow about?

“Blow” is a 2001 film directed by Ted Demme, starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. It tells the true story of George Jung, an American who becomes one of the most wanted drug traffickers. The film chronicles his rise and fall in the drug trade, highlighting themes of ambition, wealth, and the consequences of criminal activity.

What is Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back about?

“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is a comedy film made by Kevin Smith, featuring characters Jay and Silent Bob. The film follows their journey as they discover that Hollywood is making a movie based on their lives without their involvement. It’s a humorous and absurd story with elements of satire and social commentary.

Why is Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels considered a top marijuana film?

“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” directed by Guy Ritchie, is not solely focused on marijuana but captures the spirit of the cannabis universe. Despite its sideways treatment of the topic, the film is a humorous gangster movie with witty dialogue and hilarious situations, making it a favorite among cannabis enthusiasts.