I've got a nit to pick with the portrayal of marijuana in movies and tv.

Specifically, how little characters smoke in relation to how they act. Unless something's actually a stoner movie -and half the time even if it is -you'll see like 3 or 4 characters together sharing one joint between the group of them, and they get into all kinds of crazy acting shit.

Really.

I mean, pot is a lot stronger these days than back in the heyday in the 60's and 70's, because of the increased levels of THC in modern plants. But having one itty bitty little hit off a skinny joint you're splitting between an party full of frat boys just will not make a person rip off their clothes, dance like mad, and giggle their asses off at cartoons. Not even if it's their first time smoking and they have a delicate system.



So what's up with this? You'd think enough people have tried the green by now that somebody working on these scripts might notice that shit doesn't happen. Like, ever.

I'm at a loss.

Forget about the amount. What about the effects??

In my younger days I smoked blunt after blunt, and never fucking hallucinated or heard dogs talking to me. What are these motherfuckers smoking?

I want some fuckin movie weed!

Dude, if you pick up one inconsistency in movies, you have to pick em all up.

People don't survive huge falls, not everyone makes big jumps, car chases don't always end well, sometimes bad guys die.

It's all about suspension of disbelief.

How boring would it be to watch someone smoke for 20 minutes on camera and THEN do the crazy pot behavior?

CarrieMpls said:

and to take that idea even further...how boring would a pothead reality show be?

CarrieMpls said:

This is it exactly. Scenes in movies are condensed so viewers can get the point without having them drag on for too long--like when people have sex for two minutes and then it's over. (I know some people will say, "but that's how sex is for me in real life!")

Have you seen this:



i don't know what the hell they were supposed to be smoking in this movie, i'd like the number of their connection.

wait... that's not how you act when high on doobage?

Shit, there must be something wrong with me then...

I'm always talkin' to my cat and we get into these deep ass discussions about how his cousin met this dude Schroedinger who promised to take really good care of him an' shit...

sextonseven said:

not only do they have sex for two minutes and then it's done but the woman has an orgasm, like, immediately.

FunkMistress said:

Me neither! I have been ripped out of my tree quite a few times, and more than once off concentrated oil hoots. Not once have I ever started seeing shit.

Just what are they smoking in movies? I don't think it's pot.

purplesweat said:

This error spans across genres though -buddy movies, action movies, chick flicks, comedies, teen romps. How can that many people be mistaken?

sextonseven said:

It's not just the amount of time, it's the amount smoked and the effects. No amount is going to make a person behave like they do in movies, let alone a single joint shared between a group of people.

magnificentsynthesizer said:

I own that shit!

Sober it's a bit dull. But have a drink or a smoke and it's movie gold.

God only knows what those kids were on though. You see how high strung and irritable they were? Who, when they're high, has the energy or ambition to do some crazy dancing, then get up and kill a person?

meow85 said:

I'm a drug virgin so I have no idea what's believable and what's not in terms of effects. Also, my drug comedy watching experiences are limited to That '70s Show.

RenHoek said:

i'm sooooo mad there are no youtube clips of ren talking to his soap/ice-cream bar

Red buds are the key, not that I would know.

Yeah, and it's not just weed. I was watching Death at a Funeral, and the portrayal of the guy who took, I believe it was extacy, was just stupid.

There are plenty of amusing things you could portray about drug use (Katt Williams staring at the refrigerator with a perplexed look on his face comes to mind) so why make shit up?

sextonseven said:

You get a little mellow, you get a little hungry, and cartoons become works of gold. That's about it.

NDRU said:

I've got all kinds of great drug stories -most courtesy of my friends, not me. I like to think I've got some dignity.

My favourite recent one is when a roommate's buddy, after a couple hits of salvia, announced to an empty room that he was The Great Constructionist.

meow85 said:

I announced profoundly that "weed is like a flavor that someone else is tasting!"

I had to write that one down because it was sure to be important.
[Edited 8/6/08 15:26pm]

NDRU said:

Naturally.

meow85 said:

Who cares?

I suppose you watch movies for continuity errors too?

Ia not judging a I use to do it, and not on topic either, but I didn't really like weed. Getting drunk is much more fun. Smoking weed, to me, sorta proves your too bored and need weed to stimulate conversation. Its kinda boring, but sure does relax you if your stressed.

Now I cant stand the smell either, which doesn't help.

thesexofit said:

God, I hated that movie!

FunkMistress said:

purplesweat said:

No.

But if a plot point is supposed to involve drugs and they already know plenty of the viewers know what really goes down, why falsify it? Or if they want some crazy hallucinations or odd behaviour, why not write mushrooms or acid into the script instead of pot? Makes no sense.

thesexofit said:

I'd rather drink too. It's so much more social.

I still smoke pot from time to time, but it's less a social thing and more when it's just 2 or 3 people and all we plan on doing is watching a movie or going for pizza.

TMPletz said:

Man, can you IMAGINE how much more popular weed would be if that's what it did to you? Straight edge folks would be sneaking smokes!

meow85 said:

The same reason we hardly ever see anyone getting changed or why people go from completely clothed to completely naked in sex scenes - no one wants to wait around WATCHING someone get to a high for a whole hour. Movies would suck if they were required to be that accurate.

Just lighten up and have a smoke

purplesweat said:

I'm not complaining about the time it takes. I'm complaining about the fact that it's obvious the character's aren't smoking enough to incapacitate a newborn and they're seeing and doing all kinds of crazy shit that does not happen with the greenstuff. It's silly.

It'd be like writing a movie sex scene and having the characters' orgasms bring about world peace, pot's that far-fetched in some flicks.
[Edited 8/8/08 0:03am]