Reefer Madness - The Movie Musical poster & wallpaper
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Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer ... see more see more... , John Kassir , Amy Spanger , Robert Torti , Steven Weber , Kevin McNulty , Stephen J.M. Sisk , Stephen E. Miller , Robert Clarke , Ruth Nichol , Lynda Boyd , Harry Murphy , Christine Lakin , John Mann , Michael A. Goorjian , Patti Allan , Jeanie Cloutier , Tom Arntzen , Ken Kirzinger , Alexz Johnson , Brittney Irvin , Abraham Jedidiah , Chang Tseng , Peter Jorgensen , Ross Atley , Christie Arellano , Ray Myers , Jonathan Bruce , Jim Beardon , The Dolly Dots

The made-for-cable musical satire Reefer Madness is based on the award-winning play of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the notorious -- and deliciously awful -- 1936 anti-marijuana film o... read more read more...riginally titled Tell Your Children. A smarmy lecturer (Alan Cumming in the first of his three roles in the film) arrives in a typical small town of the late '30s to warn the populace of the dangers of the "evil weed," bringing along a lurid propaganda film to dramatize his message. In broad, unsubtle, and hilarious strokes, the movie-within-a-movie shows how even a squeaky-clean pair of highschoolers named Mary Lane (Kristen Bell) and Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) can become hopeless dope addicts by succumbing to the lure of marijuana. Reefer Madness is not only a savage skewering of the original black-and-white movie (some of the musical's campiest lines are taken directly from the earlier script!), but also a devastating attack on what playwrights Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney consider to be the real reason that the 1936 movie was made: to frighten the public out of their wits in order to keep them under the thumb of an oppressive government. Thus, the musical manages to take a number of not-so-veiled swipes at xenophobia, racism, McCarthyism, the Bush Administration's Homeland Security policy, and even the recent FCC clampdown on "offensive" TV fare (one of the film's highlights is a garish nightclub number featuring Jesus Christ). The ebulliently staged songs include "The Stuff," "Down at the Ol' Five and Dime," "Lonely Pew," "Listen to Jesus Jimmy," "Mary Jane/Mary Lane," "The Brownie Song," "Tell 'Em the Truth," and the title number. Officially titled Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, this film first aired April 16, 2005, on the Showtime cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

9,047 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

5 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Andy Fickman

Release Date: January 27, 2005

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DVD Release Date: November 8, 2005

Stats: 1,078 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,078)

  • gator681
    April 28, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic][color=blue]The latest version of "Reefer Madness" is a musical that is a remake/parody of the original 1930's anti-drug movie(which I've never seen even though I've seen clips from time to time. There must have been a clip in the 2000 documentary "Grass", e... read moreven though I cannot remember for sure.). A mysterious stranger(Alan Cumming, in this role and many others) comes to lecture the kind parents one night in 1936 about the evils of the drug, marijuana.(Which here seems to be a combination of angel dust, crack and steroids.) He shows them an anachronistic film that starts out with a sweet innocent high school couple, James Harper(Christian Campbell) and Mary Lane(Kristen Bell). But there is evil lurking in the corners willing to seduce them to the dark side...[/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff][/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff]Surprisingly, "Reefer Madness" turned out to be a very enjoyable movie musical with catchy tunes and great dance routines. It is a rather enjoyable romp. [/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff][/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff]There is also a political edge to this movie in that it criticizes the fearmongering that goes along with the film within a film. It reminded me of the hapless drive to teach abstinence only sex education in high schools.[/color][/font]
  • fb20312798
    February 5, 2010
    fb20312798
    Its ludicrous in the best possible way. Great songs and great comedic performances.
  • lovablemisanthrope
    November 20, 2008
    lovablemisanthrope
    This movie was fun and campy. Loved the songs and the acting was good too.
  • mygirl4vr
    March 9, 2012
    mygirl4vr
    "reefer madness! reefer madness! turning our children into hooligans and whores!"

    Ok, i haven't seen it yet, but my mom has, and she loved it!

    "Eat the brownie, eat eat the brownie, eat the brownie, eat eat the browine!
  • sublime203
    January 24, 2011
    sublime203
    This movie was far better than its direct-to-Showtime status would have you believe. It's a musical adaptation of the original black-and-white cult classic that also serves as a social commentary on the way our government exploits the helpless masses... read more This movie was f... read morear better than its direct-to-Showtime status would have you believe. It's a musical adaptation of the original black-and-white cult classic that also serves as a social commentary on the way our government exploits the helpless masses. Did I mention it's hilarious and the tunes are infectious? I think Reefer Madness is worthy of a Rocky Horror-esque cult following.
  • Zibbs
    January 17, 2010
    Zibbs
    I'm generally not a fan of musicals; occasionally there will be the one or two that I like. But this film is no exception, it is a general musical spoofing an old conservative propaganda film warning of the dangers of Marijuana. This movie is slightly fun and enjoyable, but for m... read moree the music was too general and the message came out too strong for me; I usually don't mind being hit over the head with common sense, but not in the political sense. The movie seems like a decent enough movie, but it's just not something I'd watch.

    "Take a hit of God... if you can handle the high."
  • dizzynorman
    December 22, 2009
    dizzynorman
    What a fun movie, tons of camp and carrying on the tradition of Little Shop and Rocky Horror. All of the cast members did a great job and some of the songs are actually quite catchy. I also briefly checked out the original 'serious' film and was amazed by all the elements they ... read moreretained for this lavish spoof.
  • filmguy450
    November 24, 2009
    filmguy450
    A great, tongue-in-cheek musical-romp that is light-hearted and should not be taken seriously at all!
  • Orion60
    July 26, 2009
    Orion60
    My Drummer's favorite musical.... and i must admit it's pretty badass. i always figured Jesus should have some Golden cowboy boots...
  • klinea
    July 3, 2009
    klinea
    I can't tell if I loved this because it was so absurd, or because it was so freakily accurate to the era. Brilliant! BTW, Kristen Bell is HOT!!!

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Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg
February 2, 2005
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Maybe a few bong hits would make this thing funnier. Full Review

April 2, 2005
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

December 6, 2005
Bullz-Eye.com

Click to read the article Full Review

Christopher Null
October 22, 2005
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article Full Review

February 5, 2005
Film Threat

Click to read the article Full Review

Dan Jardine
February 5, 2005
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide

Click to read the article Full Review

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Reefer Madness - The Movie Musical Trivia

Reefer Madness - The Movie Musica... Trivia

  • Which Actor/Actress connects the following movies: Lion King II: Simba's Pride Scream 3 Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical 54  Answer »
  • What was the Showtime movie--that starred Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Ana Gasteyer, Steven Weber, Amy Spanger, and Alan Cumming--that was a musical parody of the 1939 Propaganda movie of the same name?  Answer »
  • What musical movie stars Kristen Bell, Christian and Neve Campbell, Alan Cummings, Ana Gasteyer, and Steven Weber?  Answer »
  • Who played the ultra-American lecturer [as well as multiple other characters] in the cult film Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical?  Answer »
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