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Bongwater

  • 1998
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Alicia Witt, Scott Caan, Andy Dick, Brittany Murphy, Luke Wilson, and Jack Black in Bongwater (1998)
Stoner ComedyComedyDramaRomance

An indolent artist in Portland, Oregon becomes addicted to marijuana, prompting his girlfriend to flee to New York City with a heroin addict.An indolent artist in Portland, Oregon becomes addicted to marijuana, prompting his girlfriend to flee to New York City with a heroin addict.An indolent artist in Portland, Oregon becomes addicted to marijuana, prompting his girlfriend to flee to New York City with a heroin addict.

  • Director
    • Richard Sears
  • Writers
    • Michael Hornburg
    • Nora Maccoby
    • Eric Weiss
  • Stars
    • Luke Wilson
    • Alicia Witt
    • Amy Locane
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.1/10
    4.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Sears
    • Writers
      • Michael Hornburg
      • Nora Maccoby
      • Eric Weiss
    • Stars
      • Luke Wilson
      • Alicia Witt
      • Amy Locane
    • 53User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:37
    Official Trailer

    Photos66

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    + 61
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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Luke Wilson
    Luke Wilson
    • David
    Alicia Witt
    Alicia Witt
    • Serena
    Amy Locane
    Amy Locane
    • Jennifer
    Brittany Murphy
    Brittany Murphy
    • Mary
    Jack Black
    Jack Black
    • Devlin
    Andy Dick
    Andy Dick
    • Tony
    Jeremy Sisto
    Jeremy Sisto
    • Robert
    Jamie Kennedy
    Jamie Kennedy
    • Tommy
    Scott Caan
    Scott Caan
    • Bobby
    Christian J. Meoli
    Christian J. Meoli
    • Tobo
    • (as Christian Meoli)
    George Kuchar
    George Kuchar
    • Homeless Man
    Patricia Wettig
    Patricia Wettig
    • Mom
    Michael Artura
    Michael Artura
    • Cop
    Scott Anthony Ferguson
    • Fireman
    Kyle Gass
    Kyle Gass
    • Guitar Player
    Muffy
    • Stripper
    Bronson Van Wyck
    • Bartender
    Jocelyne Kelly
      • Director
        • Richard Sears
      • Writers
        • Michael Hornburg
        • Nora Maccoby
        • Eric Weiss
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews53

      5.14.5K
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      Featured reviews

      5dinojrfrk2

      Where is this going?

      Seemed to go nowhere in particular. Though, the 80s party at the end was hilarious. Get your groove on Jeremy! The rest of the movie was somewhat hopeless and the end with the spaceship. Give me a break! Why would he ever go back to that Serena any way.
      will-162

      Dirt-weed.

      I have a soft spot for the Stoner genre - I can't help it. And, unlike some of the posters about this film, I really enjoyed "Half-Baked" - it was good-natured and humble. Though the cover for "Bongwater" gave me impression of those indie movies given a shamelessly misleading advertising "angle" by companies eager to earn back even a third of the money they spent on it, I took a chance because I like Jack Black and Luke Wilson and there's always room for one more stoner movie. Bad idea. Not a stoner movie (the drug sequences are uniformly embarrassing), not a comedy, and never affecting, "Bongwater" stinks; blighted with a strained script, unfocused direction, and the kind of nebulous yet righteously sadistic morality that belongs in a Joel Schumacher opus, not an indie film. Even more disturbing, this movie shook up my opinions about actors I'd always thought I liked. Luke Wilson, so laconically charming in Wes Anderson's movies, is wooden here, the usually amusing Andy Dick is boring, and comic god Jack Black appears in only one scene that even begins to make proper use of him. And then there's Alicia Witt - I liked her OK in "Cecil B. Demented," but her performance in "Bongwater" is so excruciatingly pretentious, bratty, and shrill (she must have attended the Liza Minelli school of acting) that I pledge to never again watch another movie in which she appears.

      Bottom line: I'd take the most braindead of stoner comedies over this tone-deaf, small-minded, and almost utterly unfunny movie. Even if you're a Tenacious D completist, think hard before you spend money on "Bongwater."
      eurda

      just keep watching the trailer

      When I first saw the trailer for Bongwater, I thought, "This will be the best movie of all time." I really did think that. This could not be further from the truth. Quite frankly, I'm not quite sure what I saw. I would analogize it to cotton candy(or Chinese food, just hear me out). I ate a lot, but it just kind of dissolved. I know that I watched this movie, but what was it that I saw? Was I too deep for it or was it too deep for me?? Unfortunately, this is another case in the grand tradition of "Mr. Wrong" and "Dude, Where's My Car" where a trailer writes a check that it's ass simply cannot cash. My advice is to watch the trailer continously- it's hilarious on so many levels. Watch the "Mr. Wrong" one as well to really get a taste of unbridled potential gone horribly awry.
      bunnybunny75

      Save yourself and skip this flick!

      When the opening credits began to roll for "Bong Water," I was beside myself with glee. Luke Wilson? Jeremy Sisto? Andy Dick? It's too good to be true, I thought. I was right. This movie is a complete waste of time, not only for viewers, but for those who actually participated in its creation. Honestly, the studio exec who gave this film the green light should rethink their career choice. The story revolves around the budding (no pun intended) relationship between David, a mellowed out pot dealer played by the ever-charming Luke Wilson, and Serena, a leach who gives all women bad names played terribly by Alicia Witt. The evolution of their relationship spans a three-week time period, and for those of us living in the real world, that was hard to swallow. The two get together based on Serena's desire to promote David's pot-induced art work. Within a few weeks time, though, she's scamming her way into someone else's life, with unbelievable results. In all, this movie has no plot, no strong story line, and no reason to ever grab an audience's attention. Alicia Witt, who could stand to take some acting classes, is truly unbelievable and hard to watch. I don't care if she's a "real" red head and all men love that... those of us who can see past the carrot top see that this actress (and I use that term loosely) should go back to school and find a different career. If you are going to see this movie (and really, you should run screaming if presented with the prospect), look forward to light-hearted and silly performances by Andy Dick, Jack Black, and Brittany Murphy, though they aren't enough reason to actually sit through this 97-minute bore. You are better off catching Dick's performances in other quirky flicks, or Black's work in "High Fidelity" or "Tenacious D," or Murphy's fun performances in "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "Clueless." If you are truly dead set on a stoner flick, check out "Friday", "Half-Baked", or "Homegrown." "Bong Water" hardly even touches on the topic of the title.
      firewoman

      I liked it

      This is a movie which is just for fun. I think you just have to get it or like this kind of film to enjoy it, as I am sure a ton of you out there will think its a waste. I liked it very much. Alot of familiar faces in this one before they became more well known. Andy Dick is great, so is Jack Black. Some cool songs too which worked great with the scenes. Just a messed up fun escape for an hour and a half, if not just to see some of these stars of today in a smaller indie film. Simple, witty, and a guilty pleasure.

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      Related interests

      Jim Breuer, Dave Chappelle, and Guillermo Diaz in Half Baked (1998)
      Stoner Comedy
      Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
      Comedy
      Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
      Drama
      Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
      Romance

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        When Tommy (Jamie Kennedy) looks at Serena's driver's license, we see that her last name is Witt. Alicia Witt, who plays Serena, wrote her last name on it exactly like in her own signature.
      • Goofs
        The boom mic can be blatantly seen several times in the full screen (1.33) version.
      • Quotes

        Tony: David, guess who stopped smoking?

        David: Who?

        Tony: Your house!

      • Crazy credits
        Through the closing credits, we hear people leaving coded messages on an answering machine about buying pot.
      • Alternate versions
        96-minute version:
        • Opening credits uses the song "Sunday" by Sonic Youth.
        • 65 minutes in, at the end of David's hallucination, his mom walks away and says "Now how the hell do I get out of this place?" In this cut, she fades away into nothingness after saying that line.
      • Connections
        References When We Were Kings (1996)
      • Soundtracks
        Sunday
        (uncredited)

        Written by Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley

        Performed by Sonic Youth

        [Appears 1 minute in during some versions of movie]

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      FAQ16

      • How long is Bongwater?Powered by Alexa

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • June 10, 2013 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Bong Water
      • Filming locations
        • Portland, Oregon, USA
      • Production company
        • Alliance Independent Films
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 37m(97 min)
      • Color
        • Color

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