Serving as the cinematic exemplification of cannabis culture, the stoner sub-genre of comedy occupies a unique niche within popular culture. A crowd-pleasing, psychoactive blend of wacky adventures, memorable characters, and raucous comedy, all neatly rolled up and given form on the silver screen with sidesplitting results, stoner comedies have become beloved staples of cinema for those who just want to kick back on the couch and laugh themselves silly.

From Harold & Kumar to Pineapple Express, the fan-favorite movies worthy of admission to the stoner comedy Hall of Fame can be defined by anything from lovably aimless protagonists to a surreal sense of humor and instantly quotable soundbites. Some of them are even considered some of the funniest films. However, while these aren’t just funny movies about marijuana, they invariably serve as a cinematic testament to the countless positive effects that this remarkable little plant can have, underlining that anything capable of making you laugh this much can’t be all that bad.

10

Half Baked (1998)

Directed By Tamra Davis

The quintessential example of an underrated ’90s comedy that doesn’t get enough respect, 1998’s Half Baked follows a group of lifelong stoner friends who band together to raise the funds to get one of them out of prison by selling medical marijuana. Led by Dave Chappelle, the half-baked aura ᴀssociated with Half Baked’s production received largely negative reviews from the vast majority of critics.

However, Tamra Davis’ red-eyed effort still proved to be an unlikely minor box office success story, with Half Baked also going on to develop a widespread cult following. The movie is also notable for featuring an array of crowd-pleasing cameos from some of the most famous stoners that popular culture has to offer, including the likes of Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, and Tommy Chong to name but a few.

9

Up In Smoke (1978)

Directed By Lou Adler

Widely touted as the iconic stoner pairing of Cheech & Chong’s best movie, 1978’s Up in Smoke sees the godfathers of the stoner-comedy in peak comedic form. The first feature-length outing to feature the pair, Lou Adler’s movie depicts a classic stoner adventure complete with wild misadventures, zany side characters, and trippy visuals, spearheaded by the superb comedic chemistry of its leading duo.

Unanimously regarded as essential stoner viewing, this uproarious laugh fest makes for absolutely hilarious viewing to this day. Arguably laying the foundations for the modern pothead genre as we know it today, many beloved cinematic stoner duos owe a great deal of their inspiration to the blueprint provided by Adler’s outing. If it’s worthy of selection for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, it doesn’t seem like a push to argue that Up in Smoke is a surefire candidate for the stoner Hall of Fame.

8

How High (2001)

Directed By Jesse Dylan

A first ballot stoner Hall of Famer, 2001’s How High can perhaps best be described as the cinematic exemplification of a 500 mg edible. Starring Method Man and Redman, Jesse Dylan’s comedy sees the rappers take on the leading roles of the perpetually baked slacker duo of Silas and Jamal. The movie follows the pair as they are visited by the ghost of their deceased friend Ivory, after smoking a batch of marijuana that was accidentally grown using fertilizer made from his ashes.

While the movie’s brutal Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 25% might indicate otherwise, this nonsensical stoner romp is absolutely essential viewing for the genre. Leveraging an approach that mainly relies on the “so bad that it’s actually brilliant” method of filmmaking pays off here with sidesplitting results. Despite playing out in a manner that suggests everybody involved in production was as baked as the characters in the movie, How High invariably fails to entertain.

7

This Is The End (2013)

Directed By Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

It should come as little surprise that any movie featuring Seth Rogen’s involvement is likely to feature copious amounts of marijuana and comedy in some capacity. With the notorious real-life stoner joint directing as well as starring, 2013’s This is the End proved to be no exception. A comedy depicting an ensemble cast playing fictionalized versions of themselves as Judgment Day begins, this meta-apocalyptic outing is unique in the sense that it’s not a pure stoner-comedy at heart, but still merits inclusion to the Hall of Fame.

Leveraging a surreal premise to create a ridiculous adventure complete with over-the-top visuals and strong bromance energy, it’s hard to deny that This is the End shares a remarkable amount in common with a classic stoner comedy. This state of affairs is also aided by a huge amount of marijuana usage throughout the movie. The fact that the film has a scene where the cast get ultra-baked and shoot their own sequel to Pineapple Express is arguably worthy of stoner-comedy Hall of Fame inclusion in and of itself.

6

Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)

Directed By Danny Leiner

A cult classic offering starring Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott, 2000’s Dude, Where’s My Car? still retains its status as one of cinema’s most beloved stoner outings to this day. Directed by the late Danny Leiner, this wacky comedy follows two bumbling slackers after they awake from a night of hard partying only to discover that they have no recollection as to where they parked their vehicle, lurching from one ridiculous scenario to the next in search of their missing car.

Universe-threatening plots and cannabis-puffing dogs aside, if you were to engineer a pair of stoners from scratch in a laboratory, there’s a good chance the finished product would look exactly like Jesse and Chester. While it’s never explicitly confirmed that the clueless duo are perpetually baked out of their minds, forgetting where they parkes is a pretty good indication. A regular person might lose their car keys, but a stoner would lose their entire car, a status quo that this movie pays tribute to with a nonsensically joyful outing for the ages.

5

Ted (2012)

Directed By Seth Macfarlane

A fantasy-comedy offering from the mind of Seth Macfarlane, 2012’s Ted also sees the Family Guy creator voice the eponymous character, a talking teddy bear brought to life by a young boy’s wish. As such, marijuana decidedly isn’t the sole premise of Macfarlane’s film on paper, but therein lies Ted’s genius. The notion of a magical teddy bear who grows up into a hedonistic party animal is exactly the sort of movie pitch uttered at 3 a.m. by somebody after their fourth bong rip in a row.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that cannabis culture is quite literally baked into proceedings throughout Macfarlane’s outrageous comedy. Marijuana is frequently front and center of Ted, a state of affairs highlighted by scenes depicting discussion of weed strains like “They’re Coming, They’re Coming” or “This Is Permanent,” to moments like Ted driving a stoned John to work as he desperately puts in drops to hide his red eyes.

4

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed By Joel & Ethan Coen

Providing the archetypal character mold for a literal catalog of fictional joint-puffing man-babies that would follow over the years, Jeff Bridges’ Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski is the stuff of pothead legend. The eponymous protagonist of the Coen brothers’ 1998 cult classic, The Big Lebowski is technically more of a stoner-adjacent comedy, but Bridges’ easygoing character is such an iconic figure within the sub-genre that it would feel criminal to not include his parent film in the Hall of Fame.

Chronicling the perpetually baked Dude’s farcical antics, the movie follows Bridges’ charge after he finds himself caught up in a kidnapping due to a case of mistaken idenтιтy. From its zany characters to its rambling energy, The Big Lebowski might not be a fully-fledged stoner comedy, but it’s got all the trappings of one. Combine that with the movie’s revered standing among wider cinema fans, and it would be criminal to see The Big Lebowski miss out on Hall of Fame admission.

3

Friday (1995)

Directed By Felix Gary Gray

Kicking off the fan-favorite stoner trilogy of the same name, 1995’s Friday is led by the comedic pairing of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. The film sees the pair’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅbeat charges become indebted to a drug dealer, after accidentally smoking a large amount of weed that they were supposed to be selling. Charged with getting their debtor $200 by the end of the day on pain of death, the movie chronicles the hilarious series of events that ensue.

One of the rare stoner comedies to actually earn good reviews, cult-classic Friday’s respectable Rotten Tomato Tomatometer Score of 77% sees it clock in as one of cinema’s highest-rated examples, with critics full of praise for the movie’s outrageous sense of humor and the performances of its leading duo. Even legendary director Quentin Tarantino has cited Felix Gary Gray’s outrageous entry as one of his favorite movies, underlining Friday’s status as a first-ballot stoner-comedy Hall of Famer.

2

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

Directed By Danny Leiner

Chronicling the most chaotic nighttime munchies trip in the history of cinema, 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle does exactly what it says on the tin. Starring John Cho and Kal Penn as the eponymous pothead duo, this raucous entry represents the sidesplitting trilogy’s finest outing, even though all three Harold & Kumar movies are arguably worthy of Hall of Fame inclusion in their own right when it comes to iconic stoner comedy entries.

A riotous and subversive watch that defined the modern stoner comedy, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle is literally built on the age-old stoner conundrum of desperately needing food after a long smoke session. Throw in an array of iconic side-quests, like riding a cheetah to escape the police, posing as doctors to secure a top-up of medical marijuana, or hang-gliding off a cliff just to get to a fast-food restaurant, and it’s hard to escape the notion that 2003’s sidesplitting original entry might just represent the gold standard for the entire sub-genre.

1

Pineapple Express (2008)

Directed By David Gordon Green

Widely regarded as stoner comedy royalty, there are very few movies within the sub-genre that can conceivably hold a candle to 2008’s Pineapple Express. Starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as an underachieving process server and his clueless marijuana dealer, this endlessly quotable star-studded outing follows the bumbling duo on the run from drug dealers and corrupt police officers, after a dropped roach containing the eponymous strain of highly potent cannabis ties them to a murder scene.

Leveraging the exemplary chemistry between Rogen and Franco as one of cinema’s quintessential pot-smoking duos, Pineapple Express blends irreverent ridiculousness, scream-worthy humor, and heartwarming charm to produce what is contentiously the best stoner movie ever made. Literally named for a strain of marijuana, this loving tribute to cannabis culture doubles as an exemplary action-comedy to highlight its innate entertainment factor. Simply put, this is absolutely indispensable stoner comedy viewing.