GOOD STUFF, MAN

More Than Tust Stoner Jokes In These Three Dopey Delights

In the era when only dopes did dope in the movies, the silly
propaganda of Reefer Madness had the whole world laughing. Between
then and now, Cheech & Chong made merry with Mary Jane.

Today, dope fiends can be movie heroes, however flawed.

It so happens that three marijuana-themed movies are fresh and
fragrant on DVD: Pineapple Express (new in stores tomorrow); The
Wackness (also debuting tomorrow); and Surfer, Dude (released Dec.
30).

Toke-tastic coincidence? Maybe. But this smokin' confluence shows
that reefer madness is still potent currency in the Hollywood comedy
realm.

While all three movies have weaknesses, each is worth seeing; each
has more than stoner jokes to drive its plot; each comments on the up
and downer sides of stoner culture; and, like episodes of the
terrific TV series Weeds, each ends with a moral lesson that has
nothing to do with recreational drugs.

So none of the three movies is propaganda, one way or the other, on
the topic of marijuana. If that notion offends you, none of these
DVDs is going to appeal. At the same time, stoners cannot use the
movies in any legalization campaign, either. Now for a closer look:

- - Pineapple Express: This is another product of the Judd Apatow funny farm.
It registers lower on the success scale than Knocked Up and Superbad.
Pineapple Express, referencing a unique strain of marijuana, co-stars Seth
Rogen and James Franco as two hapless goofs whose dope-smoking
brainlessness puts them in serious jeopardy.

Like the heroes of the classic comedy Some Like It Hot, they witness
a crime and are forced to go on the run. In the new movie, two rival
gangs are also planning an all-out war and the Rogen/Franco duo is
hilariously caught up in the chaos. As directed unevenly by David
Gordon Green, Express is an odd hybrid of stoner comedy and
shoot-'em-up action.

While there are several DVD options, best is the two-disc Unrated
Special Edition. It offers both the theatrical and extended cuts,
plus a digital copy that is compatible with both PC and Mac. Like all
Apatow-generated DVDs, it comes fully loaded with extras, including
a group commentary, a gag reel, deleted scenes and the line-o-rama
option.

- - The Wackness: A story set in 1994 is now a period piece, which seems odd.
Nevertheless, with excellent music cues, a keen fashion sense and the right
mix of stoner references, writer-director Jonathan Levine makes a cool
coming-of-age movie set 15 years ago in New York City.

Likeable Josh Peck stars as an 18-year-old drug dealer who sells dope
out of an ice-cream cart in Central Park. One regular client is an
immature and vaguely irresponsible psychiatrist played by Ben
Kingsley. Despite their age differences, the two become friends and
Peck also counts on Kingsley for therapy. The friendship is
threatened when Peck falls for Kingsley's stepdaughter, a complex
party girl played by Olivia Thirby (Juno). She has relationship issues.

Dope is an issue in The Wackness. But it is secondary to the dopey
behaviour of some principals, including Kingsley when he makes out
with Mary-Kate Olsen. This movie is far more serious than Pineapple
Express because it deals intelligently with the maturation process;
the Pineapple people never grow up.

The widescreen-only DVD for The Wackness is well-appointed with
extras, including a Levine-Peck commentary.

- - Surfer, Dude: This is the silliest of the three. It is also the most
cliche-ridden, although Pineapple Express also plots out on familiar lines,
too. The trick, when every story point is a retread, is to make the
characters seem fresh and fun. Miraculously, director S.R. Bindler does
just that in Surfer and makes the movie enjoyable.

Part of the sleight-of-hand is casting Matthew McConaughey as the
dope-smoking, professional surfer dude of the title. Shirtless and
buff, as usual, McConaughey was born for roles like this. It is not
only type-casting, it is amusing for its own sake. Then add Woody
Harrelson as McConaughey's manager and Willie Nelson as a goat farmer
who also farms Malibu's best weed. Hooking up with other goofs, they
all engage in antics involving a reality-TV show featuring surfers.

The extras on the widescreen-only DVD include a commentary, a
making-of that explains the project's long history and 12 webisodes.