Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This (2010)

Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This (2010)
by James Klein

It has been over 20 years since the comedy duo Cheech & Chong have appeared together in a movie (the under-rated gross out comedy Far Out Man in 1990). While Cheech worked in television and Robert Rodrigez movies, Chong was on the stand up circuit and also wound up in jail for a short time. But after a long wait, the duo got together and toured across the country for the Light Up America tour. Millions of fans rejoiced and one of their concerts was shot for a movie. Is this the movie us fans have been waiting anxiously to see?

Hyped as a documentary, this movie is just one of their concerts that was shot in San Antonio, Texas. For fans of Cheech and Chong, it reminded me of their 1983 film Still Smoking which was part movie- part concert. The movie jumps around between their sets to various off stage characters also played by Cheech and Chong. Normally this could provide more laughs but when the film breaks away to these characters, it isn't very funny and quite distracting. The editing is jarring and gets quite annoying. As for the concert itself, I was disappointed in that the material is mostly re-hashed skits from their films and record albums. However, these skits are still very funny and one can't help but laugh at certain classic skits such as Cheech singing in his pink tutu or Chong taking his wife to a porno movie. They even open up their show with a re-enactment of the beginning of Up in Smoke.

Fans of the duo may be disappointed by the lack of new material but fans may also be happy to see their favorite skits performed once again. I guess I fall in the former. I would have loved to have seen new material or at least some new material mixed in with the oldl. But I guess I should be content that Cheech & Chong have reunited finally after all these years.

RELATED LINKS

• Cheech and Chong