Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie (2013)

A Masterpiece!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

You have to be high to actually enjoy this one. Just saying.

This is basically some of Cheech and Chong's older stuff from their '70s albums made into an animated movie.Works for me.Maybe you have to be older to truly appreciate this movie. I remember back when these guys were something out of the ordinary. When radio stations would play some cuts from their albums every night a 11:00pm. I remember Sister Mary Elephant got played quite a bit, being a little tamer than some of their other routines.This during a time just after the period when comics could be arrested for being too raunchy on stage. Cheech and Chong straddled the line.So, sure, younger people might not think this movie worth it's salt, but for those of us who remember what it was like in those days, it's nice to see the routines in a movie, even if it is an animated movie.

And in their newest artistic veneering of their oldest and most popular material, "Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie" paints a new face on their old faves Containing classic cartoon infused bits such as "Let's Make a Dope Deal," "Drive In," and the iconic "Dave's Not Here," the film is definitely a niche release, leaving little orientation to the uninitiated. For those familiar with the dynamic doobie duo however, the film is a laced love letter to the heyday of Cheech and Chong, who received much of their turn-and-burn earnings from the 1978 stash-starter "Up In Smoke." And while Animated Movie wreaks less of the early films, and more like Comedy Central's short-lived series "Shorties Watchin' Shorties" – an on-par animated vehicle in which stand-up acts are morphed into cartoonish mini movies – the groundwork laid by the early days of Cheech and Chong comes alive in this priming for a whole new generation of eager beavers. Never ones to stay stoned and silent, three commentary tracks top the extras menu, with a good burn given by directors Eric and Branden Chambers and Lou Adler on all things production. Tommy Chong and son Paris provide a great track that explores some known and not-so-known insights. And with the third pass, Cheech and Chong together gaze through the glaze and haze of their off-and-on careers taking viewers on a bong-filled ride fueled by cannabis and comedy. A Cheech and Chong stills gallery, an appropriate "Low Maintenance Listening Mode," and footage from Blind Mellon's "Medical Marijuana" recording session also pad the stash. So with two likable guys with half-opened eyes that have grown extra large in comedy size, "Cheech & Chong's Animated Movie" still may insist that "Dave's not here man," but the sultans of smoky jokes are most definitely still in the building.

'CHEECH & CHONG'S ANIMATED MOVIE': Four Stars (Out of Five) Just in time for 4/20 the popular stoner comedy duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are back with their first movie together in 29 years (since 1984's 'THE CORSICAN BROTHERS') and their first animated flick ever. It's really just a bunch of their old comedy skits (from their comedy albums) done to animation. For fans of the duo it's nothing new really but I'm not that familiar with their work. It's embarrassing to admit, being a film nut, but I've never seen one of their film's all the way through (I've been meaning to go back and watch them for years now) and have only seen pieces of them years ago. I've also never heard one of their albums so for me the material was all fresh and funny. People that know the classic stoner duo's material well might be disappointed that it's all old stuff but I liked it and liked the film as well.Cheech and Chong do all of the voices in the movie playing out bits from their grammy winning comedy albums like "Dave's not here, man", "Let's Make a Dope Deal" and "Sister Mary Elephant". It's all written by the duo and directed by Branden Chamers and Eric D. Chambers. The skits are portrayed in a really 'old school' cartoon fashion (which is pretty cool in my opinion). The soundtrack also features nine new songs by Cheech & Chong.The duo is legendary, so to some, this film lacking anything new (other than the music) might disappoint but it seems like it could still be good nostalgic fun. I loved the classic old fashioned animation and the comedy was refreshingly different than other stoner flicks out there right now. The comedy team is most famous for spoofing the stoner stereotype perfectly and has been criticized by some for perpetuating it. Anyone nowadays should be educated enough to know that marijuana users don't generally act like this in reality. It's an exaggerated joke, which happens to be really funny. I really enjoyed this movie even if it has nothing new to offer; it was new to me.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlL2HwB_YmA