Themes: Twentysomething Life, Looking For Love, Nothing Goes Right
Main Cast: Luke Wilson, Alicia Witt, Amy Locane, Brittany Murphy, Jack Black
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
Oregon pot dealer David (Luke Wilson) is perfectly happy with his uninspired artwork and sonambulstic slacker life. Along wih his layabout gay friends -- Tony (Andy Dick) and Robert (Jeremy Sisto) -- David seems to have no worries as long as the marijuana crop keeps coming in. But a social hitchhiker named Serena (Alicia Witt) finds her way into David's life and a relationship staggers to full blossom. As David gets more serious about his art, thanks to Serena's encouragement, Serena leaves to try out the rock 'n' roll life of New York City. David numbs his feelings for Serena with meaningless sex with her friend Mary (Brittany Murphy) and a wild mushroom-induced adventure in the woods with Jennifer (Amy Locane) and a zany drug guru Devlin (Jack Black). Meanwhile, Serena gets a brutal wakeup call about life in the big city and returns home to David. But is that the best thing for both of them? ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Review
Based on the cult novel by Michael Hornburg, this 1998 ensemble independent movie boasts clever dialogue, excellent production design, and stoner characters who are frighteningly realistic. There are plenty of laughs throughout the film -- Jack Black's sequence in the woods during a psilocybin high is worth the price of a rental -- but those who will "get" the movie best will be those who are familiar with, and forgiving of, a post-college drug culture devoted to the pursuit, purchase, sale, and consumption of marijuana, which is shown in all its slacker glory with few negative consequences. Luke Wilson, whose laid-back demeanor and two-seconds-too-slow delivery are perfect here, and Alicia Witt, who gets better with each role, are an engaging onscreen couple who lock together with easy honesty. But it's the gay couple, well-played by Andy Dick and Jeremy Sisto, that gets all the good lines. Social conservatives offended by even the title may want to reconsider their choice of film, but anyone who has ever spilled the titular element will enjoy a contact high. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
The plot centers on a lazy pot dealer (Wilson) who is a painter with little to no aspirations. He meets a quirky, beautiful, free-spirited girl (Witt), who turns his life around, and not always for the good. He manages to get her out of his life when she moves to New York, but he can't get her off his mind. The movie also follows her adventures in New York City where she hooks up with a gun-toting rock star (Jamie Kennedy).
