Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- raunchy
- irreverent
- shaggy
- cult comedy night
- road trip movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a tired and uneven Cheech and Chong vehicle with occasional amusement but far less comic energy than the duo's earlier work.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cheech and Chong drive a car from Chicago to Las Vegas through a succession of adventures and roadside situations.
Cheech Marin plays Cheech and Mr. Slyman, while Tommy Chong plays Chong and Habib; their employers also appear in double roles.
Five million dollars of dirty money concealed in the car upholstery drives the central transportation job and its dangers.
The plot includes the making of a pornographic film featuring The Guys and their partners, alongside lust and sexualized comedy.
Films like Things Are Tough All Over, and why
Up in Smoke
stoner comedy, irreverent buddy chemistry, episodic road-trip structure
Nice Dreams
Cheech and Chong's countercultural humor, drug-adjacent comedy, loose episodic plotting
The Blues Brothers
road movie format, broad comic set pieces, mismatched criminal misadventure
Movie Details
- Director
- Thomas K. Avildsen
- Release Date
- 1982-08-04
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Cheech Marin
- Tommy Chong
- Shelby Chong
- Rikki Marin
- Evelyn Guerrero
- John Steadman
- Rip Taylor
- Toni Attell
- Mike Bacarella
- Billy Beck
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Things Are Tough All Over about?
- Cheech and Chong turn a suspicious Chicago-to-Las Vegas driving job into a raunchy, drug-tinged road comedy packed with double identities and hidden cash.
- What is Things Are Tough All Over like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Things Are Tough All Over as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Things Are Tough All Over violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Things Are Tough All Over as mild.
- What did critics think of Things Are Tough All Over?
- Critics generally found the film a tired and uneven Cheech and Chong vehicle with occasional amusement but far less comic energy than the duo's earlier work.
- Which films are like Things Are Tough All Over?
- Films with a similar feel include Up in Smoke, Nice Dreams, and The Blues Brothers.
- How long is Things Are Tough All Over?
- Things Are Tough All Over runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Things Are Tough All Over?
- In United States, Things Are Tough All Over streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
