Cheech and Chong's Next Movie
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Tommy Chong, who co-wrote and stars in it alongside Cheech Marin as a pair of perpetually intoxicated slackers navigating chaotic escapades in Los Angeles.[1][2] The film, produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, serves as the second feature-length collaboration for the comedy duo following their 1978 debut Up in Smoke, emphasizing episodic sketches revolving around marijuana consumption, aimless hedonism, and satirical jabs at authority figures and societal norms.[2][3] Premiering on July 18, 1980, it features supporting appearances by actors such as Evelyn Guerrero and Betty Kennedy, with Chong assuming directorial control to avoid the creative constraints experienced under producer Lou Adler in the prior film.[2][4] Critically, the movie received a blend of praise for its irreverent humor and criticism for its loose structure, earning a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on contemporary and retrospective reviews, while achieving commercial success as a box-office hit that reinforced the duo's influence on the emerging stoner comedy subgenre before such films became more mainstream.[5][6][4]Development and Pre-Production
Concept and Writing
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie was developed as a sequel to the duo's 1978 breakthrough film Up in Smoke, seeking to capitalize on its success by adopting a looser, anthology-style format consisting of episodic sketches rather than a cohesive narrative. This approach preserved the improvisational essence of their stand-up routines and comedy albums, focusing on drug-related humor and everyday absurdities encountered by the characters portrayed as versions of themselves.[4][7] The screenplay was credited to Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin, with Chong handling significant portions of the writing independently while Marin was on vacation, allowing for a flexible creative process that incorporated ad-libbed elements during production.[7][6] This method echoed the sketch-based structure of their earlier Grammy-nominated albums, such as Big Bambu (1972), which featured similar vignettes of stoner comedy and cultural satire.[4] Chong emphasized that marijuana use was integral to their workflow, asserting that heightened intoxication led to more inventive and successful content: "the more stoned I was, the more crazy the movie was, and the more successful we were."[7] The minimal plotting intentionally mirrored their live performance roots, prioritizing spontaneous humor over scripted continuity.[7]
Financing and Studio Involvement
Following the massive success of their debut film Up in Smoke, which earned approximately $104 million worldwide on a modest budget, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong obtained financing from Universal Pictures for Cheech and Chong's Next Movie.[2] Universal served as both the production company and distributor, enabling the project to move forward with a reported budget of $3.2 million, deliberately kept low to replicate the independent ethos of the first film despite the potential for greater investment.[2] This approach preserved creative autonomy, allowing the duo to emphasize improvised, edgy content without extensive studio oversight.[2] Prior contractual frustrations from Up in Smoke—including a "huge horrible deal" that netted Marin and Chong only $25,000 each despite the blockbuster returns, largely due to terms with producer Lou Adler—influenced negotiations for the sequel.[8] Adler's tight creative control on the initial project had stifled the pair, prompting Chong to direct the follow-up himself for the first time and seek improved terms.[2] These renegotiations yielded $1 million advances apiece for Marin and Chong, reflecting better profit participation amid the commercial leverage from their proven draw.[8] The low budget, while posing logistical constraints typical of independent productions, facilitated unpolished, vignette-driven storytelling that aligned with the duo's stoner comedy style, contrasting with higher-stakes studio films of the era.[2] Universal's involvement provided distribution muscle but tolerated the film's provocative elements, as the prior hit's profitability mitigated risks from content deemed risqué by some executives.[9] Co-production credits went to C & C Brown Productions, underscoring the blend of studio backing and personal oversight that balanced fiscal caution with artistic latitude.[2]Production
Filming and Locations
Principal photography for Cheech and Chong's Next Movie took place in October 1979, primarily in Los Angeles, California.[10] Shooting focused on rundown neighborhoods in Hollywood and East Los Angeles, including locations such as 7021 Hollywood Boulevard at North Sycamore Avenue, to authentically depict urban decay and the low-life environments reflective of the protagonists' stoner lifestyle.[10][11] Real streets, abandoned houses, and other on-location sites were utilized extensively, with minimal constructed sets, allowing the production to capture the gritty, spontaneous essence of 1970s Los Angeles.[11][12] This approach aligned with the film's low-budget constraints and improvised aesthetic, prioritizing natural urban backdrops over studio fabrication.[4]Direction and Improvisation Style
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980) represented Tommy Chong's first credited directorial effort on a feature-length film for the comedy duo, shifting from the collaborative direction of their debut Up in Smoke (1978), where Chong contributed uncredited segments. Chong's approach prioritized spontaneous actor performances over conventional storyboarding or detailed shot lists, enabling the film's loose, episodic structure to emerge from on-set dynamics rather than pre-planned narratives. This method aligned with the duo's origins in improvisational theater, allowing scenes to evolve organically and capture authentic comedic timing reflective of their live routines.[13] Central to Chong's style was a heavy reliance on unscripted dialogues and extended takes, which infused the production with anarchic energy diverging from the scripted precision typical of mainstream Hollywood comedies of the era. Rather than fixed scripts, the film employed situational outlines that permitted performers to ad-lib, drawing directly from Cheech Marin and Chong's established improv rapport honed through years of stand-up and sketch work. This technique yielded unpredictable humor but required balancing improvisational flow with practical filming demands, such as maintaining continuity during prolonged sequences. Chong later expressed reluctance over editing decisions that shortened certain extended scenes to preserve overall momentum, underscoring his commitment to raw, actor-driven content over polished efficiency.[14][15][2]Cameos and Additional Talent
The film incorporated cameo appearances by emerging talents from the Los Angeles improv comedy community, leveraging Tommy Chong's directorial control and the production's low-budget ethos to recruit through personal and professional networks rather than traditional casting calls. This approach infused the episodic structure with authentic, vignette-driven sketches drawn from the local scene's improvisational style.[4] Paul Reubens debuted his iconic Pee-wee Herman character in a dual role as a hotel desk clerk and the bellhop in an in-film movie parody, marking one of the character's earliest on-screen outings before Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985).[16] Edie McClurg, a Groundlings improv troupe veteran, appeared as Gloria's mother in the Rolls-Royce sequence, delivering a standout performance that highlighted her comedic timing amid the film's chaotic ensemble.[17] These contributions from Groundlings-affiliated performers like Reubens and McClurg bridged stoner humor with sketch comedy influences, amplifying the movie's appeal to counterculture audiences in 1980.[18]Content
Plot Summary
Cheech (Cheech Marin) and Chong (Tommy Chong) share a rundown house in 1980s Los Angeles, where their incessant marijuana smoking, loud music, and slacker antics provoke complaints from their uptight neighbor, Mr. Slyman.[19][20] After being fired from his job, Cheech heads to the welfare office, hoping to leverage his relationship with employee Donna (Evelyn Guerrero), but she refuses aid, citing his unwillingness to work.[5] Back home, Chong organizes an escalating house party attended by oddball characters, including topless women and disruptive guests, which devolves into flooding and general mayhem from improvised water bongs and other stoned experiments.[19][21] Reuniting, the pair wanders the city in episodic vignettes of incompetence and escapism, detouring into a massage parlor staffed by prostitutes where Cheech pursues fleeting encounters amid comedic mishaps.[5] Further sketches lampoon government inefficiency through bungled military recruitment efforts and bureaucratic red tape, interspersed with surreal interruptions like a blind man's chaotic driving lesson and attempts to retrieve a family member from a hotel.[22] The loose narrative builds to absurd heights with a stolen vehicle pursuit by police, culminating in Chong's abduction by aliens during the chase; he reappears offering Cheech "space cocaine" derived from extraterrestrial origins, sparking a final hallucinatory sequence of interstellar delusions and feigned drug highs using household substitutes like laundry detergent, underscoring the film's theme of perpetual, unresolved aimlessness.[4][2][18]Cast and Characters
Cheech Marin stars as Cheech, the film's scheming yet laid-back protagonist whose portrayal exaggerates the slacker archetype through impulsive schemes for quick cash amid constant evasion of responsibility.[23] Tommy Chong plays Chong, Cheech's perpetually stoned sidekick, whose dim-witted, perpetually mellow demeanor heightens the duo's caricature of drug-addled aimlessness and detachment from societal norms.[23] Their on-screen chemistry, honed from prior stand-up and recording collaborations, drives the film's humor, prioritizing improvisational rapport over polished ensemble dynamics.[24] Supporting characters provide foils to the leads' indolence, with Evelyn Guerrero as Donna, a flight attendant offering romantic tension and grounded exasperation.[23] Betty Kennedy appears as Candy, contributing to the comedic interludes with her interactions amplifying the protagonists' chaotic lifestyle.[23] Other notable roles include Sy Kramer as the uptight Mr. Neatnik, whose orderly persona clashes with the slackers' anarchy, and Paul Reubens in a dual turn as the desk clerk and an early Pee-wee Herman sketch, adding eccentric brevity without overshadowing the core duo.[23] The casting emphasizes a lean ensemble of mostly character actors and newcomers, reflecting the production's modest scale and focus on the stars' inherent rapport rather than marquee names.[25]| Actor | Character | Role Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cheech Marin | Cheech / Dwayne 'Red' Mendoza | Dual role as lead slacker and opportunistic cousin; drives episodic misadventures.[23] |
| Tommy Chong | Chong | Passive, high companion; embodies passive stoner passivity.[23] |
| Evelyn Guerrero | Donna | Romantic foil; contrasts leads' lethargy with proactive energy.[23] |
| Betty Kennedy | Candy | Comedic side interest; heightens absurdity in social encounters.[23] |
| Paul Reubens | Desk Clerk / Pee-wee Herman | Brief cameo-like appearances; injects quirky eccentricity.[23] |