A/k/a Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong, a figure who represents a movement to many, may just by his name bring many curious people to the theater. As a fairly conservative individual who more or less believes in the capacity of government, if the film had just been about the unfairness of anti-pot legislation/enforcement it probably wouldn't have done much for me.

Instead, the film shed alarming light on how justice is administered today. It disturbed me how various powerful people decided bringing down Tommy would add celebrity to their resume, and how much of a ruse they used to get him. I didn't necessarily question the legality of the actions (police can do things like send minors into bars to solicit alcohol or cigarettes) but rather the ideology and zealousness behind it. Is this consistent with how the majority of Americans feel we should act?

There is a great biographical aspect to the film that is smartly interwoven with present day events. It helped set context and added some background color to the names Cheech and Chong. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and this film was a cool glimpse into where our culture has been and how it has evolved.