ironhorse_iv While, personally I don't smoke the stuff, I found this movie to be very entertaining. Reefer Madness is not only one of my favorite musicals, but one of the most unheard gens in musical theater. The 2005 made-for-television Showtime musical comedy film directed Andy Fickman was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical of the same name based on the 1936 exploitation film also of the same name. The 1930s crusade against marijuana, with the Hollywood Hays Code and prejudice directed at racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, labor unions, gays and lesbians is just awfully stupid, so I was glad to hear a movie playing fun of it. With an all-star cast, this satire movie brings some of the best songs I have ever heard in any musical while making fun of the paranoid over-reaction and over-politicizing of the original Tell the Truth program. The production quality is great. The set actually looks decent for a TV movie. The comedy is objectively funny as well, and the 30's were quite ridiculously white-bread about legality equal morality. In a high school classroom, there is a Tell the Truth meeting going on in a black and white color scheme. The Lecturer (Alan Cumming) tells the assembly of anxious parents about the evils of marijuana. It's here, we get to hear the opening song, Reefer Madness theme song by the Steven Colbert look alike. Alan Cumming's voice is awesome! So deliciously creepy! The movie then opens in color showing a young man, Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) a fine upstanding youth, blessed with his love for his girlfriend Mary Lane (Kristen Bell). Both actors reprise their roles from the stage as they continue to be charming, and cute. Jimmy's got some crazy ass pipes in his lung in his singing. Kristen is an amazing singer and she can really dance. The two are so in love, they quote and sing 'Romeo and Juliet', not really knowing the ending to that story. The word play in the Romeo and Juliet song is very witty, and watching Shakespeare shaking his head was just hilarious. However, across town, the sadistic weed-pusher, Jack Stone (Steven Weber), and his cronies, neurotic whore Sally DeBanis (Amy Spanger), moll Mae Coleman (Ana Gasteyer), former college student Ralph Wiley (John Kassir), are living in the depths of depravity looking for their next victim. Steven Weber plays the over the top gangster, while Ana Gasteyers gives one hell of a performance singing the song 'The Stuff'. The stuff is a great song by Ana. She plays it over the top as well as straight. Did you know the guy who plays Ralph is the voice of The Cryptkeeper in Tales of the Crypts? John Kassir also worked on the stage version. Anyways, the drug pushers meet Jimmy at the local soda counter during the 'Down at the Ol' Five and Dime' musical number. I really don't like this song, but the dancing is great. Nothing to say about this, but a small cameo by Neve Campbell as Miss Poppy, despite getting third billing. Here's an explanation for Neve Campbell: Originally she was supposed to play Mary Jane in this film adaption but that would have been very weird what with her brother playing Jimmy, so she got recast as Miss Poppy. Also she had a little more character development in the original show as someone who was secretly working for Jack and helped him find kids to push reefer on. Here, she's just a three minute character. So John Carradine like movie. Jimmy get hook on the stuff after one hit taking him to the 'Orgy' song number. Once again, not a good song, but good dance number. I love Jimmy's face after he takes a hit. It made me laugh. So if I take a toke, I will be whisked away to a island of orgy loving barely clad men and women who smoke weed and worship a goat-demon deity named Moloch. Seems legit. The next two songs 'Lonely Pew' and "Listen to Jesus, Jimmy' are amazing. Robert Torti, who played both Jack and Jesus on-stage, portrays only the latter in the film version. I don't find this to really be sacrilegious. I mean, it's not a demeaning portrayal of Jesus; if anything, it just makes him look more awesome. And I would also like to believe that Jesus would kid around a little bit, because God obviously has a sense of humor. 'Lonely Pew' was an add song. Not in the original show. Jimmy continue to fall into madness, getting frame for murder. Only stopping to question himself with 'Mary Jane/Mary Lane'. This song is the best in the movie. Jimmy eats the brownie and immediately forgets all about Mary ("The Brownie Song"). This song is awful, but at less it's short. It's replace a song just known as the monkey song. I would have just cut both songs from the movie. Not only does Jimmy get into a mess, but Mary who plan to rescue him, but instead get hook during the 'Little Mary Sunshine' number. Mary transforms from your simple high school sweetheart into a sadistic, whip cracking dominatrix. The movie go all Macbeth with the 'Murder' number and end with semi tragedy. Overall, this was incredibly entertaining! I was choking on laughter all the way through! I could hardly breathe, it was so hysterical! My only complaint is that still the drug trade does in fact destroy lives, and the movie does make light of it. I fully acknowledge that Marijuana is just as bad as alcohol as far as addiction and incapacitation, but this movie doesn't give you a right to dumb yourself down by Mary Jane. But this is not a debate that doesn't needs not happen here, so just enjoy the movie for its silliness. Can Jimmy get out of the murder rap and save Mary from Reefer Madness? You just have to watch to find out.

MartinHafer I have a bit of a complaint about this and many other movies. When I got the DVD, I noticed there were no captions of any sort--and it sure would have helped since several in my household are hard of hearing. In addition, I am sure that a lot of fans of musicals would have loved to have been able to see the words and perhaps even sing along.As for the film, "Reefer Madness: The Musical" is based, very loosely, on the original film "Reefer Madness (1936--also called "Tell Your Children"). It is a musical parody of the original--which is a bit of a problem since the original film was a comedy--though perhaps unintentionally. It's known by bad movie fans as one of the most enjoyably bad movies of the era. And, I must confess, while I liked this musical, I still would much prefer to watch the original--it is truly hilarious (though the studio's other offering, "Sex Madness", is actually even funnier).Now if you do watch this film, be prepared to be offended. I am not talking about how it trivializes pot use but the scenes of Jesus dancing about with Satan in one song as well as the sexual nature of the film. It is NOT a film for small children or mother-in-laws! If you can look past this and decide to watch the film, be sure to watch Alan Cumming--who is absolutely awesome in the movie. I love how he made his British accent completely disappear--putting on a rugged voice and singing with a range I never thought he was capable of doing. Wow...what a voice. Also, possessing another wonderful voice is Christian Campbell--who has a knack for picking strange and edgy roles (his most icky and cool was "Pretty Dead Girl"--a definite must-see). And it didn't hurt that the songs were so gosh-darn cute.By the way, didn't Christian Campbell remind you of the pug from the end of "Best In Show"? If you are not sure, see him at the 60 minute mark and you'll see what I mean.

photodork52 I'm a big fan of musicals and of satire, so of course, this is a hit with me. The music is catchy, well written and memorable. All the performers did a great job, even the ones that I didn't expect would be able to cut it (steven Webber, ana gasthier) did reasonably well. Kristin Bell and Christian Campbell did fantastic, but I think the winner of this musical would have to be Alan Cumming who plays several roles and has a hell of a set of pipes.This film may not be for everyone. If you're uptight, think that one hit of weed will indeed make you nuts or are easily offended when Jesus in a loin cloth sings songs about staying away from Marijuana, this film is not for you.However, if you can have a good laugh both at drug culture and the war on drugs (and perhaps recognize a parallel in what is going on worldwide today), you will enjoy this movie.I wish I could find the soundtrack, but it is not yet released. The original cast recording is impossible to find.

happyfunboy Reefer Madness...the Movie Musical.What a treat. FUnny all the way around, and not just slapstick funny, but a ton of well thought out satire sprinkled all over it like crushed seeds on a brownie. Poor Jimmie and Sally. If only they had been taught about the Devil's weed, the tragic events of this biopic could have been avoided. Things seemed so swell at the 5 and Dime until that rat-fink Jack showed up with his fancy suit and swing dance moves that he probably learned from one of those Jazz clubs...Everyone in this marvelous production was perfect. Alan Cumming was the narrator/devil/agency man who warned the unknowing parents of the town about the dangers facing their young upstanding American children. Christian Campbell reprises his role from the Broadway production as Jimmie (a role he says he might be playing till he is 50) and his lovely sister Neve makes an appearance as Poppy the malt shoppe gal. Ana Gastyer lends her incredible voice and great skill in over the top acting as Mae, the hemp-house harlot with a heart of gold. The entire scope is the movie is fast furious and funny. The sets are a character in and of themselves with found jokes everywhere, like the town's population being 420 or the school being named after Harry J Anslinger (look it up people). The costumes are (insert Nathan Lane voice here) Faaabulous. And the dialog will have you in stitches, especially when you realize that most of it is from the original propaganda film, "Button your lip. You've got more static than a radio." and by the way, they've included the 1936 classic on the DVD.So run right out and grab it, toke up on your "muggles",or your t-sticks or whatever antiquated term you wish, and laugh your fool head off. Just be mindful that you don't succumb to (yes, I'm actually doing this) ReefeR MaaaadnessSS....