It's April 20 today, and no matter which story you believe about the origins of the number 420, we all know that for many out there it serves as a good excuse to bust out the, uh, glaucoma medication. That you totally got a doctor's note for. From some guy on the beach whose ID card read "Dr. Who."
In honor of 4/20/2011, we've got your list of the funniest flicks to watch today, sure to bring a smile to your face even if you've never inhaled. From high schoolers to hood rats, Latins to Leprechauns, check out this list of stoned-cold craziness.
10. "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"
Truthfully, any Kevin Smith movie could have gone on this list, but we narrowed ourselves to the one that makes most merry with the Mary Jane. Putting the titular drug-dealing duo front and center for the first time, Smith cuts straight to the stoned subtext of Scooby snacks, and offers us lightsaber bong battles on the set of a Hollywood production called "Bluntman and Chronic."
9. "Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise"
"What if C-A-T really spelled dog?" asks crazy jock Ogre to a group of his stranded nerd nemeses on a desert island, as pot smoke pushes aside their differences. Before long, all is forgiven, as Ogre rechristens himself Frederick, greases down his hair and learns to laugh like a braying mule.
BLTWY: Politics and pot, a love story
8. "Leprechaun in the Hood"
Warwick Davis' looney li'l leprechaun has a lot in common with a bag of the good stuff: He's green, fuzzy, possibly pungent and will deprive you of some of your gold. In the fifth Leprechaun movie, which costars Ice-T, the green goblin finally meets the wacky weed, and hilariously awful rapping ensues.
7. "Scary Movie"
Though the sequel strove for even more ganja-infused ghostliness, the original remains the finest and funniest. When Marlon Wayans' Shorty channels Haley Joel Osment to announce that he sees dead people, the only twist is that it's due to having inhaled some spooky smoke.
6. "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny"
Jack Black seems like he's taken a toke or two in almost every movie he stars in — but only one of those features him and sidekick Kyle Gass making and using a bong formed from one of Satan's horns. It's a shame J.B. never had time to fully sample the herbs on King Kong's island ...
5. "Friday"
Long before the Rebecca Black video, the title referred to a work of visual entertainment featuring a more talented musician, namely Ice Cube, who wanted to make a movie that showed the lighter side of life in South Central L.A. In a star-making performance, Chris Tucker played Cube's best pal Smokey, whose name said it all. Alas, he was replaced by Mike Epps in two lackluster sequels.
4. "Up in Smoke"
Though '90s kids were the ones who got tagged as slackers, Cheech and Chong are worthier of the rep in their signature movie as a couple of L.A. dudes looking to score weed, chicks and an unrehearsed music set. Stacy Keach gamely spoofs his law-and-order persona as the humorless cop on their trail.
The Big Picture: Today's hot pics
3. "Dazed and Confused"
Richard Linklater's ode to smoking out in the '70s featured many stars in the making, among them Ben Affleck and Milla Jovovich. Scene-stealer Rory Cochrane, however, was the one who should have gotten the career boost — his eternally red-eyed Slater has the leafy lexicon down pat. Instead, Matthew McConaughey got famous. Damn.
2. "The Big Lebowski"
Though he's more frequently seen drinking White Russians than toking up, Jeff Bridges' The Dude — loosely based on L.A. publicist Jeff Dowd — remains the quintessential movie stoner. Usually clad in a bathrobe, and espousing a philosophy of "abiding," he only breaks a sweat if you mess with his rug.
1. "Reefer Madness" (aka "Tell Your Children")
Hysterical in more ways than one, the "Plan 9 From Outer Space" of drug movies straight-facedly depicts "marihuana cigarettes" which induce teenagers to run over pedestrians, accidentally shoot people, jump out windows and, worst of all, play piano maniacally! Decades later it was remade as a musical comedy, but the 1930s original is funnier.