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Released: 13th February 2025 Director: Emerald Fennell Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi Emily Brontë’s masterpiece, Wuthering Heights is sacred text to its generations of fans. It’s a bold, savage, layered, morally complex exploration of the depths of the human psyche, including obsession, vengeance, addiction , possession, death and the unfathomable desires and needs that can lie within […]
Released: 13 February 2025 Director: Bart Layton Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keohan, Monica Barbaro, Halle Berry, Nick Nolte, Corey Hawkins Don Winslow is one of the premier crime writers working in America today, with his Border Trilogy earning particular acclaim. His 2020 short story collection Broken is the basis for director Bart Layton’s […]
For their 227th episode, two third-string critics, two painkiller-addicted dads, and two steamin' teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, arrive at the weekend of the Super Bowl with one more football classic from a generation ago. As the complete opposite to the wholesome Remember the Titans from a recent episode, our hosts cover Oliver Stone's 1999 cinematic energy drink Any Given Sunday. They try to comprehend the amount of cocaine and creativity it took to make every aspect of that wild movie that turned out to be prophetic and ahead of its time. Come learn more and stay for the mutual love and respect that fun movies encapsulate. Enjoy our podcast!
Cinephile Hissy Fit is an Astra Award-losing Film Obsessive media podcast, brought to you by the Ruminations Radio Network, and a member of the Critics Choice Podcast Network. Please visit, rate, review and subscribe. If you enjoyed this show, we have more where that came from, with interesting hosts, and wonderful guests. All are available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere you find your favorite shows. Follow the show on Twitter at @CinephileFit and on Facebook. Also, find both Will Johnson and Don Shanahan on Letterboxd as they accumulate their viewings and build their ranks and lists. Lastly, check out their TeePublic store for merchandise options from stickers to t-shirts!
Thank you so much for your captive audience and social media participation! Enjoy our new podcast episode!
Fifty-two minutes into Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, one of the frazzled characters in a potpourri posse of handpicked Los Angelinos working with a nutty man claiming to be from the future responds to a choice in the frankest way possible. The bold woman says:
“I don’t really care either way. I just want to see where this goes.”
At this point, where everyone assembled has already been through a wringer and a half in a short period of time, the pivot point in question feels like the sixth or seventh opportunity to exit the pickle they’re in. And yet, this particular woman is sticking it out. The question then becomes whether viewers can reply with the same lack of exhaustion or tenuousness. Not everyone can or will with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.
Now, what’s going where? Well, that’s the kick of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. One man says he knows without ever actually accomplishing what he is setting out to do. Audiences will need to riff with one of the best to ever riff, and find their way through a maze of escalating weirdness.
When the clock strikes 10:10pm on a random night, an unnamed and oddly armored man (Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell) announces his presence at a classic Norm’s Diner on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, a stone’s throw from Beverly Hills. He presents himself as a time-traveler sent back in time to prevent an apocalyptic future of societal collapse. His rant on complicity tears into the gathered citizens about the unheeded warnings of social media, the rise of A.I., and the erosion of critical thinking. As loopy as he appears to be, he’s onto something.
LESSON #1: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO LISTEN?--- Expectedly, this loudmouthed vagrant has everyone flustered as they’re trying to enjoy a late night cheap eats meal. Plenty tune him out, hoping he gives up and goes away, but here’s the wrinkle. He knows everyone in this busy restaurant by name and tosses out personal details proving that very knowledge. Would that uncanny development, surging beyond mere coincidence, make you listen to a man like that? The ballsy honesty and scare tactics he’s doing should be enough.
Spewing out the stakes, he reveals his mission to stop a 9-year-old kid from finishing the coding that creates the “post-singularity, self-perpetuating, information processing artificial intelligence” that brings the world down by installing safety software before it can gain consciousness. As it turns out, this is the 117th time our man has gone back in time to this Norm’s to select the correct configuration of people to accomplish his quest. Moreover, no one chosen has ever lived through his attempts. Wildly enough, he gets a first taker and, soon, five more.
The final addition is someone the traveller has never chosen in the previous 116 tries. She’s a woman named Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) in streaked makeup and a disheveled princess dress costume who is allergic to nearby technology. Stressing that trait, she feels like “The One” with fate written all over her, thanks to a shift of Geoff Zanelli’s musical score and new framing from cinematographer James Whitaker. After all, she’s the one that drops that zinger line at the 52-minute mark.
By the time all that shakes out, Rockwell’s character declares “Tonight, we got a shot,” and the title card announces Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die with a studio audience sound effect akin to the introduction of a Wheel of Fortune episode. Helmed by the former Pirates of the Caribbean franchise king, Gore Verbinski, directing his first film in nine years, this movie is primed to follow this guy anywhere. Sam Rockwell’s loquacious personality is, as usual, a special kind of hilarity that few can keep up with. The man can sell lunacy by presence alone. All of that would be great, if the movie didn’t start to rewind and grind some of its wacky momentum to a halt.
LESSON #2: TRY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AS YOU GO— The screenplay from Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die begins a series of flashbacks that detail how different members of the motley crew careened through life before walking into that Norm’s. Starting with the teacher duo of Mark and Janet (experienced action comedy vets Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz) and continuing with the distraught mother Susan (Juno Temple) of a school shooting victim (a subject a little too real to make fun of in a comedy) and, eventually, Ingrid, these backstories count as character development. However, they are not short sidebars, similar to something like Quentin Tarantino’s effusive reveals in The Hateful Eight. The long tangents fluctuate with pertinent interest and necessity to the greater arc. Much of this could have been accomplished with shorthand on the go without the long asides.
LESSON #3: DON’T JUST STAND THERE— Likewise, for a movie feigning a higher authority for intelligence and time importance, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die repeatedly falls for one of the dumbest fails in cinema as a crutch to generate suspense. At no less than a half-dozen crucial moments, Verbinski and Robinson have characters doing that classic movie trope of stopping and looking when they could keep moving or escape. The “don’t just stand there” stupidity is maddening at times, which ruins some of the loftier and more creative commentary being melted into this movie.
Hopscotching like this in a nearly rudderless way, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die hinges on committing to the curiosity of Ingrid’s aforementioned bold line. Doing so accepts a bumpy ride chock full of cockamamie ideas. That roller coaster can also eject others from the vehicle entirely. Most of the clues from the backstories only add to the incomplete confusion of everyone’s one-wild-night journey. In the end, what is more interesting? Is it the past that made these loose characters, or the future that was foretold to open the movie? One could beg it’s the latter and not the former. The messy hodgepodge of it all feels random for randomness’s sake, and the character behaviors too often match that ridiculousness rather than win you over.
Cannabis culture has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past half-century, evolving from a marginalized countercultural symbol to a mainstream social and economic force. As legalization expanded across parts of the United States and beyond, public attitudes shifted, and so too did the portrayal of cannabis in popular media. Nowhere is this evolution more visible than in modern Hollywood films. From irreverent comedies to complex dramas and even prestige television spin-offs, cannabis culture has shaped storytelling, character development, and cinematic tone in powerful and lasting ways.
In today’s entertainment landscape, cannabis is no longer confined to background jokes or rebellious side characters. Instead, it often plays a central narrative role, reflecting a broader cultural acceptance and commercial presence—mirrored even in lifestyle branding and niche markets such as Premium US-Stecklinge. The normalization of cannabis in film parallels its normalization in society, and Hollywood has both influenced and been influenced by this dynamic shift.
The Counterculture Era and Early Portrayals
To understand cannabis culture’s influence on modern cinema, it’s essential to revisit its roots in the 1960s and 1970s. During this era, cannabis was emblematic of anti-establishment movements, youth rebellion, and creative freedom. Films of the time often depicted marijuana as part of a broader lifestyle associated with peace activism, psychedelic exploration, and resistance to authority.
One landmark example is Easy Rider (1969), directed by Dennis Hopper. The film captured the spirit of the counterculture movement, featuring characters who openly used cannabis while traveling across America. Rather than portraying marijuana as inherently dangerous, the film framed it as part of a free-spirited, alternative way of life. This nuanced representation set the tone for decades to come.
Similarly, the comedic duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong rose to fame with films like Up in Smoke (1978). Their slapstick humor and overt celebration of stoner culture helped bring cannabis into mainstream comedy. While exaggerated and absurd, these portrayals softened public perceptions and laid the groundwork for future “stoner comedies.”
The Rise of the Stoner Comedy
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, cannabis-centered humor had become a reliable box-office draw. Movies such as Half Baked (1998) and Pineapple Express (2008) presented marijuana use as a catalyst for friendship, misadventure, and absurdity rather than moral decline.
In Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, cannabis is not merely a background detail; it drives the entire plot. The story revolves around a rare strain of marijuana that links the protagonists to a criminal conspiracy. While the film is comedic, it also reflects changing social norms—law enforcement is portrayed more satirically, and cannabis use is treated as commonplace rather than taboo.
These films contributed to a shift in tone. Instead of portraying marijuana users as outcasts or delinquents, Hollywood began depicting them as relatable protagonists—flawed, humorous, and often endearing. This normalization marked a significant cultural milestone.
Cannabis as a Symbol of Authenticity and Rebellion
Modern Hollywood has increasingly used cannabis as a narrative shorthand for authenticity, creativity, and resistance to conformity. In ensemble comedies like This Is the End (2013), cannabis consumption is woven seamlessly into character interactions. The humor stems not from shock value but from familiarity; audiences recognize these behaviors as part of everyday social life.
At the same time, cannabis continues to serve as a symbol of subtle rebellion. In teen and coming-of-age films such as The Edge of Seventeen (2016), marijuana use is depicted as part of adolescent exploration rather than deviance. The act of smoking becomes less about breaking rules and more about navigating identity, stress, and peer relationships.
This shift reflects broader societal changes. As states legalized recreational and medical marijuana, the cultural stigma diminished. Hollywood responded by integrating cannabis into stories with greater complexity and nuance.
Expanding Genres: Drama, Thriller, and Beyond
Cannabis culture’s influence extends beyond comedy. In crime dramas and thrillers, marijuana often intersects with themes of legality, morality, and economic opportunity. Films like Savages (2012), directed by Oliver Stone, explore the darker side of the cannabis trade, including cartel violence and ethical ambiguity.
Television has also embraced this evolution. The series Weeds (2005) broke ground by centering its narrative on a suburban mother who turns to marijuana dealing after her husband’s death. Rather than presenting cannabis solely as comedic fodder, the show used it as a lens to examine class, hypocrisy, and the American Dream. Its success demonstrated that cannabis-related stories could sustain long-form, character-driven storytelling.
Even prestige dramas have begun to incorporate cannabis in subtle, realistic ways. Rather than sensationalizing its use, filmmakers often portray it as an ordinary aspect of adult life—no more shocking than a glass of wine. This quiet normalization signals how deeply cannabis culture has permeated mainstream narratives.
Shaping Character Archetypes
Cannabis culture has also influenced character archetypes in Hollywood. The “stoner” stereotype—once limited to laid-back slackers—has evolved into a more diverse range of personalities. Modern films portray cannabis users as entrepreneurs, artists, professionals, and even heroes.
This diversification mirrors real-world changes. As cannabis businesses expanded and legalization created legitimate markets, the image of the cannabis user broadened. Hollywood responded by developing characters who reflect these realities: tech-savvy growers, socially conscious activists, and ambitious startup founders.
In some cases, cannabis even enhances character depth. A protagonist who uses marijuana might be portrayed as introspective or creatively inclined, adding layers to their personality rather than reducing them to caricatures. This shift demonstrates a more mature understanding of cannabis culture and its varied participants.
Influence on Aesthetics and Cinematic Style
Beyond narrative themes, cannabis culture has influenced Hollywood’s visual and auditory aesthetics. Psychedelic cinematography, vibrant color palettes, and immersive sound design often accompany scenes depicting altered states of consciousness. These stylistic choices trace back to countercultural cinema but continue to evolve with modern technology.
Directors frequently use slow-motion sequences, surreal editing, and eclectic soundtracks to capture the subjective experience of being high. While sometimes played for laughs, these techniques also allow filmmakers to explore perception, time, and emotion in innovative ways.
Music choices further reinforce cannabis culture’s presence. Reggae, hip-hop, and indie rock—genres historically associated with marijuana advocacy—often underscore scenes involving cannabis use. This synergy between sound and image deepens the cultural resonance of such moments.
Reflecting and Reinforcing Social Change
Perhaps the most significant way cannabis culture has influenced modern Hollywood movies is through mutual reinforcement. As public attitudes softened and legalization spread, filmmakers felt freer to depict marijuana use openly. In turn, these portrayals helped further normalize cannabis in the eyes of audiences.
The feedback loop between culture and cinema is powerful. When viewers see relatable characters using cannabis without dire consequences, perceptions shift incrementally. Hollywood does not act alone in shaping social norms, but its global reach amplifies its impact.
Today, cannabis appears across genres—from raunchy comedies to heartfelt dramas—without dominating the narrative or requiring justification. This subtle integration reflects a cultural milestone: cannabis has transitioned from taboo to texture, from controversy to commonplace.
Conclusion
Cannabis culture’s journey through Hollywood mirrors its journey through society. What began as a symbol of rebellion and marginalization has evolved into a multifaceted cultural force that shapes character development, genre conventions, and cinematic aesthetics. From Easy Rider to Pineapple Express and beyond, filmmakers have used cannabis as both subject and symbol—sometimes humorous, sometimes dramatic, always reflective of the times.
As legalization continues to expand and social attitudes evolve, Hollywood’s portrayal of cannabis will likely grow even more nuanced. Whether as a catalyst for comedy, a lens for social critique, or a simple detail of everyday life, cannabis culture has secured its place in modern cinema—no longer confined to the fringes, but firmly embedded in the mainstream narrative.
There was a time when watching a film felt like stepping out of everyday life for a while. You checked the schedule. You bought a ticket. You arrived early enough to find a good seat. You sat in the dark and stayed until the credits ended because leaving would have meant missing something. Now most […]
Released: TBC (Sundance 2026) Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Alejandro Edda Firstly, we must congratulate co-writer-director Josef Kubota Wladyka on two things: the excellent title of his movie, and for dedicating his excellently-titled movie to his mom. Secondly, we must congratulate Emile Ardolino and Eleanor Bergstein on the deathless Dirty Dancing, a version of which features heavily in Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! The version being […]
