Rappers and movies, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Ludacris should do more movies, he's great at it. Jay Z, not so much. There's no reason they shouldn't give it a shot. Methodman and Red Man one of the most known and respected hip-hop duos decided to give it a shot. Individually, they had plenty of acting roles, especially Methodman. They even had a semi-successful TV show. But in 2001 they decided to star in a film together.
The film starts with Silas sitting in his car smoking weed before his SAT test. He doesn't have any rolling papers but the guy in the next car doesn't have any weed. They bond and smoke Silas new strand. This new strand was fertilized with the ashes of his friend Ivory who appears to him once he's high. Ivory promised to always have his back. He guarantees that any college in the country will want him when he's done with them. Since, Silas is a ghost, he's got all the answers. The duo end up at Harvard.
Jamal and Silas waste no time getting comfortable at Harvard. They link up with I Need Money, that's his name, he's the local hustler. Their roomates Jeffrey and Tuan get a few hip hop upgrades. Dean Cain doesn't like them there. He doesn't see them as respectable blacks and expects them to fail out after their first semester. Jamal joins the rowing team to embarrass Bart, the captain, so that he can hook up with Bart's girlfriend Jamie. Jamie also happens to be the daughter of the vice president. It doesn't go well, Jamal is terrible at rowing.
Meanwhile, Silas takes a botany class so that he can get better at growing marijuana. The one class they take together is black history, because black people know black history. However, the Dean teaches that class and he isn't happy to see them. They joke around in the class and don't take him seriously causing another student to get kicked out. In his herbal classes Silas meets Lauren, the deans daughter and they begin to spend more time together.
During the middle of the semester the guys throw a Halloween party. The party goes a little wild, with Jamal hiring prostitutes to take his roommates' virginity. This brings them into conflict with Baby Powder, a pimp. Gerald the Hall monitor or campus security steals the plant grown with Ivory's ashes and everything is down hill from there.
The boys struggle with classes, having never studied before. Silas suggests they get high, study, get high and take the tests because that'll mean high scores. It doesn't work and they fail all of their midterms. Jamal suggests they dig up a smart dead guy and smoke his remains. They smoke John Quincy Adams, and it doesn't work at all. Silas is promised he'll pass his botany class if he can create a truth serum so he focuses on that.
Eventually Gerald brings back the plant and Silas is able to use the last leaf to fix his truth serum. They pass to the next semester and are invited by Jamie to attend the Harvard Alumni Party. Dean Cain isn't excited as he was just bragging about how they would never been seen on campus again. Silas laces the drinks with his truth serum and everyone shares their real feelings. Inspired by Jamal, Lauren reveals that Ben Franklin's artifacts are just a bong. Dean Cain goes crazy and tries to kill Jamal and Silas but is taken out by secret service. Everyone has a happy ending.
There's no real hidden message in this one. It's just a stoner film. Way more than Friday which managed to have a lot of social commentary. This one could have taken place anywhere. The placement on an elite college campus doesn't change anything. It can be looked at for the disdain between upper class blacks and lower class blacks if you really want to dive into. But, I don't think that was the case as none of the actual writers for the film were black.
If you're looking for some deeper meaning to life in this film, look somewhere else. If you're looking to just laugh, this might be the film for you. There aren't going to be any convoluted stories to follow so if you're a stoner you're going to love this one.
Download a free copy of Darrell's book Phantasmagorical, read some of his other work at 12AMFiction.com and hear him on the Powerbomb Jutsu Podcast
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Blerd Film Club
