Under the Influence - A Trip Through Stoner Media

ENTERTAINMENT | LISTICLE | DRUGS

Written by William Lyall (he/him) | @willis.davies_ | Contributing Writer

Stoner media is a unique phenomenon. It's a specific subset of TV shows and films that pair well with a lava lamp, comfy sweatpants and an off-brand Pickle Rick bong. Much like children's content, stoner media is mostly consumed by a less critical audience. These pieces of content are watched by people more easily pleased than joyless critics. Most of these critics prefer Hitchcock and Kubrick to Harold and Kumar. 

However, as one of these unpleasable critics myself, I have often wondered if these collections of stoner media have merit. Or has an epidemic of reefer madness diluted the average stoner's conception of quality? To answer this question, I have critically watched four pieces of content cited as best watched in a purple haze while remaining completely sober. A challenge only a truly moral boy scout such as myself could ever achieve. 

Midnight Gospel (2020)

Program creators: Duncan Trussell, Pendleton Ward

The quintessential show your particularly suggestable friend claimed had "Opened their mind" for 30 minutes in between rips from a phallic-shaped bong. Midnight Gospel is an endearingly strange show. It follows the adventures of a multiverse-travelling podcaster conversing his way between different simulated universes. The show is a surreal blend of podcast audio from the 'The Duncan Trussell Family Hour' and scripted segments. Combined, discussions about psychedelics, death and spiritual enlightenment are crafted into a cohesive yet mildly disorienting narrative.

The visual storytelling of this show is near perfect. The blend of smooth animation, imaginative designs, and endless visual gags makes the viewing experience unmatched. A particularly stunning sequence is the 'Clown Revolution' scene from episode 2—an action-packed musical number following the minced remains of our protagonists. They morph into a titan of flesh and casually stroll through a revolution against oppressive mind parasites. 

On top of the breath-taking visuals, the conversations between the main characters of each episode provide sharp insights. Their discussions allow us to interrogate our understandings of cultural taboos such as dealing with death, handling negative emotions and secular spirituality.

As a result of its imaginative intricacy, Midnight Gospel is more of a journey than a casual binge. It implores you to pay attention to both the stunning animation and often unrelated podcast dialogue at the same time. This viewing experience is delightful but would be wasted on those looking for a show to put on in the background. Midnight Gospel is not a show to binge whilst doing the dishes or scrolling through reels in a zombified malaise. If this review has piqued your interest, I recommend you sit down, place your phone out of reach, grab a snack and enjoy half an hour of top-notch TV. 

Half Baked (1998)

Director: Tamara Davis

I expected the Half Baked experience to be a feature-length Chappelle's Show episode. A film chock block with high energy, crude, and sometimes poorly aged humour. In retrospect, a more accurate comparison would be a single low-quality Chappelle skit. Half Baked is a completely aimless slurry of lowest common denominator gags and unlikeable characters that refuse to cease their brain-melting stupidity for a second. The film perfectly balances feeling excruciatingly long whilst allowing nothing of substance to happen during the entire runtime.

Half Baked follows the story of Thurgood (Dave Chappelle) and his gaggle of life-long stoner friends and their mission to raise funds through a pot-dealing scheme. Using the proceeds to free their childhood friend from jail before he gets... molested. This paper thin premise is dragged on for an hour and a half whilst the writers desperately try to pad the time with inane nonsense. 

Although Half Baked is dumb, trashy and poorly conceived,  I wouldn't say it's completely devoid of entertainment value. The inciting incident of a diabetic police horse being fed to death caught me off guard, but that's all the film can offer. Shock value. The various fourth wall breaks, cheeky editing and absurdist humour are ultimately purposeless. This film is deprived of the structural framework and carefully written dialogue that separates a feature-length dime bag of cheap weed jokes from a functional comedy film.

In an alternate universe where Half Baked committed fully to its wacky premise, unlikable characters and absurdist humour, audiences might have gotten a perfectly passable popcorn film to enjoy in between hits of the Devil's lettuce. However, as it stands, Half Baked exists only to maliciously absorb valuable time you could've spent watching paint dry or staring at a particularly uninteresting wall. 

Pineapple Express (2008)

Director: David Gordon Green

Pineapple Express is the product of decades of stoner media evolution. In other words, Half Baked walked so Pineapple Express could… hungrily scroll through the Uber Eats menu at 1 am. Would I say it's a riveting experience deserving of the coveted Letterboxd watchlist status? No, but not all films have to be. 

Pineapple Express follows Dale (Seth Rogen), a laidback document deliverer, joined by his pot dealer Saul (James Franco). Together, they embark on an adventure to escape the grip of cronies, kingpins and the corrupt police. The film hinges on the natural chemistry between Rogen and Franco, who propel the plot forward in a series of increasingly ridiculous shenanigans.

For the most part, this film is sufficiently entertaining, sometimes even becoming a captivating exploration of friendships forged in shared experiences. But, the film contains some glaring issues that become distracting while watching. For the majority of the runtime, Dale, a 25-year-old man, dates an 18-year-old high schooler. This choice is bizarre, especially for a character who is supposed to be a sort of every man that the audience can relate to. The pacing of this film is also frustratingly inconsistent. The film shifts between balls-to-the-wall action in one scene and then meandering improvised comedic dialogue in the next. On top of this, for a comedy flick, it is surprisingly unfunny. Some moments are painfully choreographed in order to manufacture 'laugh out loud moments' which fall flat.

Despite its flaws, Pineapple Express is a perfect film to exist in the background. Not watched, but casually consumed. It is a film to briefly pay attention to at the most exciting moments and drift away from when you need to take a load out of the dryer. If this is what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed by this run-of-the-mill Seth Rogen comedy.

Smiling Friends (2020-Present)

Program creators: Michael Cusack, Zach Hadel

Some may say this one doesn't count. They would say that a show with such universal critical acclaim shouldn't be classified as stoner media. Those people should get a life. My friends watch it high, so I don't care what you slugs think. Now that's out of the way… Smiling Friends is a contemporary animated comedy following a charity with the sole aim of making people smile. The two protagonists, Pim, a chaotic ball of optimism and Charlie, a more cynical and grounded foil to Pim's energy, attempt to make their world a better place. One smile at a time. 

The show uses its premise perfectly to parody the insanity of the modern world. Smiling Friends balances painfully realistic dialogue against a world of unending chaos and characters built to satirise some of the most unflattering elements of modern life. Although the show often plays with dark humour and often irredeemable characters, it never feels mean-spirited. 

For example, in the most recent episode, ‘Rotten’, the living snowman learns that once the winter ends, he will likely melt. Permanently ceasing his existence. Initially, the idea of death terrifies Rotten, leaving him in a constant state of mortified screaming. Pim places Rotten in the office freezer to calm him, where he can live safely forever. However, as time passes, the snowman realises life is hollow without risk and novel experiences. So he asks to be taken outside and enjoy an afternoon at the beach with the rest of the Smiling Friends.

Of course, the writing isn't the only high-quality element of Smiling Friends. The voice acting, music, and animation all indicate a level of care and effort seldom seen in mainstream entertainment. So, if any of you readers haven't seen Smiling Friends yet, I recommend rectifying this mistake.

So, does stoner media live up to the hazy hype constructed by our cannabis-controlled frontal cortices? Kind of. It's hard to say with a sample size of only four. But this endeavour has taught me that you don't need weed to enjoy stoner media. With the benefit of a sober mind, we might appreciate this media more when we're not under the influence of the giggle bush.