Hard To Find Humor In ‘Half-Baked’ Film

Where will the Cheeches and Chongs of tomorrow come from? A good place to start looking would be in the audience of “Half-Baked.”

It’s an unabashedly pro-pot comedy and, sad to say, you’d have to be high to find “Half-Baked’s” don’t-fear-the-reefer humor amusing. It’s barely even a one-joke premise, and that joke is, “Look at the size of that bong!”

The film is padded with stuff like an unfunny “Jerry Maguire” parody, cameos by celebrity weedheads such as Willie Nelson and Snoop Doggy Dogg, and frequent munchy breaks.

What little humor there is comes courtesy of Dave Chappelle, a likable, inventive guy who has none of the ballhogginess that comedians-turned-actors often exhibit. He plays one of the film’s four dopey duuuudes, but he’s especially funny in a cameo as Sir Smoka Lot, a rapper who gets weepy when he gets high.

Beyond that, “Half-Baked” contains an offensive stereotype of a gay man, endorses drug dealing and makes jokes about prison rape. But its biggest crime is not being funny.

xxxx
“HALF-BAKED” Location: Newport, Spokane Valley Mall, Showboat cinemas Credits: Directed by Tamra Davis; starring Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Diaz Running time: 1:30 Rating: R