Top 10 Movie Stoners of All Time

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

AMERICAN ULTRA opened last week and combined elements of stoner comedies with action flick. The big screen has always portrayed stoners as comic relief which has led to many classic characters over the years. In fact, there are so many drug addicts on screen that you would almost have to make a separate list for each controlled substance. Focusing on stoners, here is our ranking of our favorite pot-smokers from the movies. If your favorite didn’t make the cut, feel free to let us know in the talk backs below.

#1 – Jeffrey Lebowski

Careful man, there’s a beverage here! Only the Coen Brothers could create a film noir so hilarious that folks forget what kind of movie they are watching. Jeff Bridges is brilliant as the pot-smoking, White Russian drinking Jeffrey Lebowski who prefers to go by The Dude. One of the funniest movies of all time, THE BIG LEBOWSKI is definitely our favorite stoner in any movie.

#2 – Cheech and Chong

The original comedy potheads, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong parlayed their love of marijuana into a long career of pratfalls, visual gags, and hilarious movies. Their best movie is UP IN SMOKE which has become one of the most widely accepted movies about drug use ever made. I defy even the most conservative person not to laugh at least once in this movie.

#3 – Jay and Silent Bob

They are the contemporary equivalent of Cheech and Chong. Jay and Silent Bob started out as background characters but would soon become Kevin Smith’s trademark creations, even getting their own feature film. Jason Mewes, an actual addict in real life, is hilarious as a fictionalized version of himself while Kevin Smith gives his best Buster Keaton impression. Combined, they are the most endearing drug dealers you could ever imagine and guys you would definitely want to light one up with.

#4 – Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo

Terry Gilliam has given us some mindf*cks before, but FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is his trippiest and most insane. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro bring to life the writings of Hunter S. Thompson so perfectly that it helped kick off a friendship between the author and his big screen proxy that lasted until Thompson’s death. If you have never done drugs before, Depp and Del Toro do a phenomenal job of showing you what it would be like.

#5 – Craig and Smokey

While the sequels felt very sterilized, the original FRIDAY is a hilarious comedy that can be enjoyed by anyone. Even if you don’t identify with the setting, FRIDAY is still a great movie about being in that hazy area between your teenage years and adulthood. It is also the film that helped Chris Tucker on his way to Hollywood stardom. While RUSH HOUR put him in the lead, FRIDAY is definitely his funniest performance.

#6 – Harold and Kumar

While I am not a big fan of this stoner franchise, the characters have become synonymous for a new generation with the drugs they consume. The stakes are not all that big in any of the three films but they did help restart Neil Patrick Harris’ career by having him play a fictionalized version of himself that is very close to how cool he is in real life. It may take a lot more than weed to get most of us to eat White Castle, but you may have the munchies after watching this movie.

#7 – Everyone in DAZED AND CONFUSED

It was hard to pick just one character from Richard Linklater’s coming of age masterpiece about growing up in Austin, Texas during the summer of 1976. From Matthew McConaughey’s Wooderson to Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer and even Jason London as Randall “Pink” Floyd, practically every character in this movie is high at some point and having a great time. Well, Ben Affleck’s douchey Fred O’Bannion may be the exception, but everyone else is alright, alright, alright.

#8 – The Super Troopers

While the cops themselves do indulge in a little drug use in the movie, SUPER TROOPERS is populated by pot-smoking characters who deliver hilarious references to drugs as they try to bust their corrupt colleagues before being run out off the force. It may not be the most traditional movie on this list, but it is one of the funniest.

#9 – Dale and Saul

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS derives it’s title from a strain of pot and focuses on a dealer and his customer/friend who embark on a comedic and violent odyssey that is one of the most entertaining films of the last several years. I could have easily picked THIS IS THE END or even THE INTERVIEW, but PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is the more direct stoner comedy of the Seth Rogen/James Franco pairings.

#10 – Ted and John

Even if you aren’t a fan of Seth McFarlane’s brand of comedy, you have to admit that the concept of TED is pretty funny. Heavy on the pot-smoking, TED gives us two best friends who love to get high and wax poetic about everything from sex to celebrities. While the sequel was a bit derivative, it still gave us a lot of funny moments between the inebriated best friends.

Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.