Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- irreverent
- silly
- carefree
- stoner movie night
- retro comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an influential but uneven stoner comedy whose likable counterculture duo and memorable jokes outweigh its thin writing and juvenile humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pedro and Man's search for marijuana, drug-laced van, and intoxicated escapades supply the film's central comic engine.
The pair drive from Mexico toward the United States while failing to realize that police are following them.
The protagonists' marijuana use, hitchhiking lifestyle, and repeated avoidance of police place them against 1970s mainstream respectability.
The van's concealed drug-related properties drive the journey and generate the protagonists' unintended involvement in trafficking.
Films like Up in Smoke, and why
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
shared stoner comedy, counterculture humor, and loose buddy-road structure
Half Baked
shared cannabis-centered absurdity, irreverent humor, and outsider friendship
Up in Smoke
shared drug-fueled misadventure, juvenile slapstick, and aimless comic energy
Pineapple Express
shared countercultural comedy, marijuana humor, and episodic road-trip antics
Movie Details
- Director
- Lou Adler
- Release Date
- 1978-09-15
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (653)
Cast
- Cheech Marin
- Tommy Chong
- Strother Martin
- Edie Adams
- Harold Fong
- Richard Novo
- Jane Moder
- Pam Bille
- Arthur Roberts
- Marian Beeler
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, 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 Up in Smoke about?
- Two hapless stoners ferry a mysterious van across the border while blundering toward a concert and dodging authorities they barely notice.
- What is Up in Smoke like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Up in Smoke as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Up in Smoke violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Up in Smoke.
- What did critics think of Up in Smoke?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an influential but uneven stoner comedy whose likable counterculture duo and memorable jokes outweigh its thin writing and juvenile humor.
- Which films are like Up in Smoke?
- Films with a similar feel include Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, Half Baked, Up in Smoke, and Pineapple Express.
- How long is Up in Smoke?
- Up in Smoke runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Up in Smoke?
- In United States, Up in Smoke is available to rent or buy from JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
