Cinema Verde: 6 Must-See Cannabis Films to Get your Green State on While Stuck at Home

Screening of “The Big Lebowski” at the Red Rocks Amphiteatre. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

So, you’ve just popped an edible and you’re looking for the perfect pick-me-up movie to stream riiiiight when it sets in. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Mysteries can be hard to follow, love is complicated, and horror might not be the best idea (depending on how far you’re tripping this evening), so to truly unwind, why not turn to what you know?

Yes, we’re suggesting you watch a show about cannabis… while smoking cannabis.

Here are six canna-comedies every 4/20 binger should have on their list:

Herold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Ever craved fast food so much you’d do anything to have it? Well, there’s a movie about that. Follow an investment banker (John Cho) and his stoner friend (Kal Penn) as they share a smoke and embark on a quest for the perfect burger – and run into Neil Patrick Harris on ecstasy along the way.

Related: The Secret to Better Cannabis Highs? Eat Your Broccoli (and These Other High-Enhancing Foods)

Smiley Face (2007)

If you know canna-comedy, you know most of it comes down to bud and bromance. Not “Smiley Face.” Giving a voice to the female stoner, this film takes its audience through the hilarious series of misadventures that ensue when early-career actress and weed-enthusiast Jane F. (Anna Ferris) eats an entire plate of cannabis cupcakes and launches into one of the great monologues of stoner film history.

Pineapple Express (2008)

If you and your dealer (back when cannabis was illegal everywhere) were forced to go on an adventure together while high, it would probably look something like “Pineapple Express.” When a stoned Process Server (Seth Rogen) accidentally witnesses some hitmen committing a murder, he and his dealer (James Franco) grab some snacks and head for the hills to avoid being the next target – a decision that, of course, leads to crisis upon laugh-till-you-cry hilarious crisis.

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Half Baked (1998)

A shining example of ‘90’s canna-comedy, this classic takes you back to a time when the biggest problems for four lifelong smoking buddies were hiding the smell of weed from an anti-drug girlfriend and having to break into a laboratory to access medical marijuana… until one of them is arrested for feeding junk food to a diabetic horse.

Saving Grace (2000)

If you’re living in a multi-generational house these days (hey, it’s 2020, no one’s judging) here’s one the whole family can enjoy – even grandma. When Grace Trevethyn (Brenda Blethyn) faces financial ruin after her husband’s death, this British, middle-aged widow and gardening guru resorts to growing cannabis in her greenhouse to get back on her feet.

RELATED: Quarantining with Cannabis: 12 Problems We Never Thought We’d Have

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Last, but definitely not least, this Coen Brothers film has become something of a cult classic, and for good reason. Kick back and scream-laugh along as your stoner uncle (Jeff Bridges), otherwise known as “The Dude,” is mistaken for a millionaire, is commissioned to deliver a ransom, and seeks vengeance over a spoiled rug with the help of his bowling buddies in this canna-comedy-mystery where the central character almost exclusively wears Bermuda shorts.

Elissa Esher is Assistant Editor at GreenState. Her work has also appeared in The Boston Guardian, Brooklyn Paper, Religion Unplugged, and Iridescent Women. Send inquiries and tips to elli.esher@hearst.com.