The stoner comedy has always been seen as a controversial genre – not only does it centre on protagonists that are known to partake in a forbidden substance, their behaviour supposedly condones laziness, disrespect and utter incompetence. Yet, they’ve remained so beloved for one simple reason: they’re relentlessly funny, and offer more valuable laughter than nearly any other kind of comedy film. If there was anyone that could provide evidence towards the entertaining power of these films, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are both living embodiments of how this kind of humour has become so beloved across generations and geographical boundaries. Their best work is mostly attributed to Up in Smoke, which is also coincidentally the first time their comedic duo had made it to film, after roughly a decade of honing their act. Many consider this to not only be their masterpiece, but single-handedly the greatest stoner comedy ever made. The proof for this is not difficult to find – one simply has to watch it in order to gauge just how effective this film is at not only making audiences laugh at the moment, but lay the groundwork for decades of pale imitations, many of which are still incredible works in their own right. Directed by the versatile Lou Adler, who collaborates with the iconic duo to craft this film based on their own highly-success live act, Up in Smoke is a gem of New Hollywood comedy that seeks to make us laugh without needing to establish anything particularly deep around it.

The question that must be asked when discussing Up in Smoke is very simple: what exactly makes this a funny film? For whatever reason, Cheech and Chong have endured as comedic icons in their own right – audiences continue to laugh at the antics of these characters, almost half a century since they made this film. There are dozens of complex explanations we can give, but the right answer is also the most simple: they’re just endlessly funny. Whatever fuels this film is certainly the product of nothing but finding what makes audiences laugh, which is essentially the primary goal behind the vast majority of films. It’s not too controversial a statement to compare Cheech and Chong to other iconic comedic pairings that had entire films based around their act – and while many of these acts normally made broader use of witty, dialogue-driven sets, our heroes hearken back to the silent era – there are some genuinely funny jokes (which are most commonly the segments that are most replicated outside of the film), the most genuine laughter comes in the form of the visual style. Regardless of how many times one watches Up in Smoke, it is going to be an experience, since there are an abundance of jokes, both in the broad visual segments as well as the minor details, that each viewing will uncover unseen ones. They somehow manage to occur on the perfect axis between visual and verbal humour, which makes their work surprisingly impactful from a comedic standpoint.

There is certainly a reading of Up in Smoke that points to its socio-cultural relevance, which is essentially true of any film produced during the New Hollywood era, a period in which nearly every work of art could be considered as adhering to either the status quo or being a product of the last remaining remnants of the counter-culture era. Set in the late 1970s, Adler and the central duo tell a story taking place in a very distinct cultural moment  – the guns used in the Vietnam War were barely cold when this film went into production, and the mentalities around the more fun-loving members of society were formed from the hardened criminality of their supposed addiction, layered with puritanical beliefs that are effectively mocked throughout this film, shown as draconian and unnecessarily cruel. Of course, reading too much into this single-handedly removes every bit of carefree goodwill from a film built around nothing but having a good time. What we can discuss is how Up in Smoke was so incredibly ahead of its time – the 1970s brought a sense of liberty to many filmmakers, and a major studio would be more than willing to craft a film around the meandering musings of a maddening pair of stoners, because this is exactly what audiences were looking for. Pure humour is difficult to find, and it seems like Cheech and Chong were one of the few pairings that genuinely wanted to distract from the real world, drawing our attention away from the serious and sobering side of reality. There’s a certain respectability in this approach, and throughout Up in Smoke, it is extremely difficult to not feel fully at ease, despite the sometimes controversial subject matter.

How does a director make a film that tackles themes of criminal justice, xenophobia and racism, while still making it hilarious? You simply cast two of the most insanely funny comedians working in the business. Cheech and Chong aren’t only names, they’re an entire brand – they impelled generations to embrace their inner hippy, rebelling against the system, or the all-encompassing idea of “The Man”, who our heroes consistently demonstrated nothing but umbrage to. While this film focuses on their first meeting, make no mistake – the chemistry we see on screen was not spontaneous, but rather nurtured through a decade of dedicated collaboration, the two comedians carefully honing their craft and developing these slackers into distinct characters that not only work in the context of this particular story, but could be easily transposed onto any narrative and still be very funny. There’s not much to their performances as a result – if you’ve even seen the briefest segment of their work, you know exactly what to expect, whether it be their unique speaking patterns (which have inspired generations of comedians on their own, many duos fashioning themselves after our protagonists), their bespoke fashion sense or simply the fact that there were a few key jokes that sustain their act – and yet, despite the predictability, they still seem so effortlessly brilliant, being just as funny here as they always are. It may require us to get onto their wavelength in terms of the often incredibly stupid and immature humour – but there’s a freedom in being able to just comfortably cackle at the absurd situations these two dullards find themselves in, and Up in Smoke offers that in an abundance.

Up in Smoke is not a film that is intended to be taken seriously. It’s not the kind of artwork that one admires in isolation – instead, it works better with a group, preferably those with a sense of humour strong enough to handle the increasingly bizarre tone of this film, which may be an acquired taste, pandering mostly those with a penchant for the most infantile humour imaginable. However, the primary difference is that Up in Smoke is not only aware of its childish nature, but it outright embraces it. We’re invited into this dizzying, colourful world and asked to just go with the flow, going on this carefree journey with these lovable slackers as they venture into the wilderness of society, interacting with a wide range of peculiar characters as they constantly manage to flirt with danger and narrowly escape the consequences of their actions. The humour is simultaneously low-brow and wickedly sarcastic, which is the kind of contradiction that a film like this is based on. Hilariously irreverent and firmly committed to its own inherent stupidity, Up in Smoke is a film that earns every bit of its cult status, and will continue to resonate with future generations, not for its commentary or the content of its jokes, but rather its forthright dedication to just inciting laughter, which it does regularly and without anything less than total brilliance.