Up in Smoke (1978)
73%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Up in Smoke, the classic stoner comedy, has received mixed reviews from critics. While some have praised the film for its likable characters and quotable lines, others have criticized its lack of cohesiveness and amateurish humor. Director Lou Adler may have found a few chuckles, but the real stars of the film are Cheech Marin and Thomas Chong, who prove to be irresistible anti-establishment figures. Despite its flaws, Up in Smoke remains a shaggy slice of slacker comedy that launched the subgenre of “stoner” comedies and continues to be repeatedly watchable for its classic gags and iconic status in pop culture.
Up in Smoke is a classic stoner comedy that’s perfect for a lazy night in with some friends and a bag of chips. While it may not be the most well-made movie out there, it’s definitely one of the most likeable and repeatedly watchable. Cheech and Chong are the ultimate anti-establishment figures, and their never-ending search for great pot is both hilarious and relatable. Plus, the supporting cast is great and the gags are non-stop. So if you’re in the mood for some drugs, language, and sex (on screen, of course), Up in Smoke is the movie for you. Just don’t forget the munchies!
Production Company(ies)
Buddy Pic, Paramount Pictures
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1978
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 26m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1978 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 10, 2006
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Stacy Keach, Edie Adams, Tom Skerritt, Zane Buzby, directed by Lou Adler, written by Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Variety, Chicago Reader, Slant Magazine, Time Out, Austin Chronicle, Film Frenzy, Common Sense Media, Q Network Film Desk, EmanuelLevy.Com, Rob’s Movie Vault, Filmcritic.com, R rating, Paramount Pictures, produced by Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo, sound mix mono, aspect ratio scope, rock band contest, marijuana, counterculture icons, misadventures, technicality, likability, seminal piece, stoner cinema, Cheech & Chong Still Smokin’, Eddie Murphy Raw, Hellraiser, Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie, Porky’s
Worldwide gross: $44,364,244
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $44,364,244
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tommy Chong – Anthony ‘Man’ Stillman
Stacy Keach – Sgt. Stedenko
Edie Adams – Mrs. Tempest Stillman
Tom Skerritt – Strawberry
Zane Buzby – Jade East
Director – Lou Adler
Producers – Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo
Writers – Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin
Director(s)
Lou Adler
Writer(s)
Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin
Producer(s)
Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (19) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (10)
What’s lacking in Up in Smoke is a cohesiveness in both humor and characterization.
May 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Director Lou Adler (the record producer) finds a few chuckles, but mostly it’s amateur night.
May 7, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
As far as comedic ingredients go, weed is not so much a surefire laugh-getter as it is a free-floating lubricant capable of setting off wicked complications.
September 5, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/4
Fernando F. Croce
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
As the most fun comes not from watching the movie but from recalling great lines later, it would seem that the audio success of C & C has not translated too well into visuals.
June 24, 2006
Fiona Ferguson
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The duo wrote the genial script about the never-ending search for great pot, and a good supporting cast co-stars.
March 10, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Cheech Marin and Thomas Chong prove to be irresistible anti-establishment figures in this consistently amusing dum-dum comedy.
August 30, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Classic stoner comedy has drugs, language, sex.
July 17, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
a shaggy slice of slacker comedy, and while no one will mistake it for a particularly well-made movie, it is imminently likeable and repeatedly watchable
April 26, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
The funniest of all the Cheech and Chong movies, Up in Smoke provides a feast of gags for the sympathetically minded.
May 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
TV Guide Staff
TV Guide
This Cheech and Chong weed comedy was dismissed by most critics (and parents) but it was embraced by young viewers and launched the subgenre of “stoner” comedies way before Linklater made Slacker.
April 12, 2008 | Rating: C+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Cheech & Chong had their act down pat by ’78 and turned out to be a natural movie-comedy team.
April 9, 2007 | Rating: B
Rob Gonsalves
Rob’s Movie Vault
Up in Smoke is the world’s most revered — and most idiotic — drug movie.
September 6, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com…
Plot
Two stoners, Anthony and Pedro, hit the road and get into all sorts of misadventures, including getting arrested for possession of marijuana and competing in a rock band contest in the comedy classic Up in Smoke.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, two counterculture icons known for their stoner comedy.
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