- published: 05 Apr 2011
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Stoner film is a subgenre of films that revolve around the use of cannabis. Typically, such movies show cannabis use in a comic and positive fashion. Cannabis use is one of the main themes, and inspires most of the plot.
The series of movies in the 1970s starring Cheech & Chong are archetypal "stoner movies." Some historic films like Reefer Madness have also become popular as "stoner movies" because their anti-drug message is seen by some modern viewers as so over the top that the film amounts to self-parody.[citation needed]
High Times magazine regularly sponsors the Stony Awards to celebrate stoner films and television. Many of these films do not fit the category of "stoner film" as a subgenre, but contain enough cannabis use to be deemed noteworthy by the periodical. For a list of films containing frequent cannabis use, see films containing frequent marijuana use.
Many stoner movies have certain elements and themes in common. The template involves two male friends who possess or are attempting to possess marijuana and have some task to complete. Often stoner films involve evading authority figures, sometimes law enforcement agents, who are portrayed as comically inept, but also parents, coworkers, friends, and security guards who disapprove of the protagonists' marijuana usage usually out of a greater lack of acceptance of their lifestyle of leisure and innocence. Most serious moments are intended ironically, often to parody overwrought counterparts in mainstream cinema. The comic story arcs often approach or fall over the line into slapstick.
Edward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. (born July 15, 1968) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.
Griffin was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised by his single mother, Doris Thomas, a phone company operator. After attending high school in Kansas City, he enrolled as a biological engineering major at Kansas State University, but left after three months.
Griffin starred in many films, including The Meteor Man (1993), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Double Take (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), John Q (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005) and Norbit (2007). Later in 2007, Eddie starred alongside Steven Seagal in Urban Justice a thriller set in New Mexico. He also starred in the UPN television series Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000).
He was ranked at number 62 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. In 2011 Comedy Central released You Can Tell 'Em I Said It on DVD. It was 82 minutes of unedited and uncensored content.
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965) is an actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. Lawrence has acted in numerous film roles and starred in his own television series, Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997.
Lawrence was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse in Germany on April 16, 1965, to American parents. He was given his first name after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and his middle name after US President John F. Kennedy. His father, John Lawrence, served in the US Military. After his parents divorced when he was eight, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer at the time. His mother, Chlora (née Bailey), began working several jobs to support her family. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing. He lived in Maryland, and attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland), Fairmont Heights High School (Fairmount Heights, Maryland), Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and also Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.