These titles hit especially hard on 4/20.

21 highly rated stoner movies to watch right now

These titles hit especially hard on 4/20.

By Whitney Pastorek,

Jeff Labrecque,

Jeff Labrecque

Jeff Labrecque is a former senior editor at **. He left EW in 2018.

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and Kevin Jacobsen

April 20, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson in 'Dazed and Confused'; Ice Cube as Craig Jones in 'Friday'; Seth Rogen as Dale Denton in 'Pineapple Express'. Credit:

Gramercy Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection; Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection

The appeal of a stoner film is that they don't have to play by hard and fast rules. Sure, recreational drug use is what connects them, but this comedy subgenre is as varied as the potency of your joint of choice, from unintentional camp classics like *Reefer Madness* (1936) to foundational coming-of-age dramedies like *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982).

What further connects most stoner films is the eternal conflict between the straight-edge establishment and a band of outcasts who choose an alternative path. Plus, let's face it, there's almost a contact high you can get from the goofy, uninhibited vibes of these films. With a new stoner movie out on Hulu now, 2026's *Pizza Movie*, we're looking back on our 21 favorite stoner movies that give us that high every time.**

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Paul Rudd as Ned Rochlin in 'Our Idiot Brother'. Nicole Rivelli

Pot smoking may not be wholly accountable for Ned's (Paul Rudd) happy-go-lucky demeanor in *Our Idiot Brother*, but the fact that he sells weed to a uniformed cop kind of says it all.

Your Highness (2011)

Danny McBride as Prince Thadeous in 'Your Highness'. Frank Connor

*Your Highness* is set in the Middle Ages, with marijuana being called "wizard weed." It reunites *Pineapple Express* (2008) director David Gordon Green with stars Danny McBride and James Franco, so, 'nuff said.

Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)

Ashton Kutcher as Jesse Montgomery III and Seann William Scott as Chester Greenburg in 'Dude, Where's My Car?'. Tracy Bennett

Well before *The Hangover *(2009), two stoners (Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott) wake up one morning with no recollection of the previous night. Or, obviously, where they parked their car. What follows — including dueling alien factions and a cannabis-craving pooch — delivers a decent contact high after just one viewing of *Dude, Where's My Car?*.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. Everett Collection

Marijuana takes a back seat to mescaline and LSD in this Hunter S. Thompson trip, but Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) are never for a second in their right mind during *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*.

Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith as Silent Bob and Jason Mewes as Jay in 'Clerks'. Miramax

Shameless reprobate Jay (Jason Mewes) and sage Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) eventually became immortalized in comic book form as Bluntman and Chronic, but in Smith's first Jersey opus, *Clerks*, they're simple dealers harassing put-upon Dante (Brian O'Halloran) on what was supposed to be his day off.

The Wackness (2008)

Mary-Kate Olsen as Union and Ben Kingsley as Dr. Jeffrey Squires in 'The Wackness'. JoJo Whilden/SPC

This coming-of-age film set in 1994 Manhattan tells the story of a lovesick teen (Josh Peck) who deals weed from his water-ice cart and trades reefer to his psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley) in return for counseling. Plus, Method Man and Mary-Kate Olsen costar, lending it their stamp of approval.

Inherent Vice (2014)

Katherine Waterston as Shasta Fay Hepworth and Joaquin Phoenix as Larry 'Doc' Sportello in 'Inherent Vice'. Everett Collection

Paul Thomas Anderson's hilariously hazy adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's crime novel replicates the experience of being high for the viewer, with Joaquin Phoenix playing a constantly stoned private investigator who tries to untangle a convoluted conspiracy in 1970s Los Angeles.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston, Esq., Keanu Reeves as Ted 'Theodore' Logan, and Tony Steedman as Socrates in 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'. Everett Collection

This asinine (but most excellently heartfelt) buddy vision quest enabled the existence of *Dude, Where's My Car?* and was made by the director who brought us 2004's *Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle *(RIP Danny Leiner). Most excellent, indeed. The duo would ride again with the 1991 sequel *Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey *and 2020's *Bill & Ted Face the Music*.

Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006)

Dave Grohl as Satan in 'Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny'. Peter Iovino

Jack Black and Kyle Glass, two schlumpy wannabe musicians in search of a "supra-natural" guitar pick, dance with the devil (Dave Grohl) and ultimately use Satan's horn as a bong. *Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny* is indeed an epic stoner journey.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'. Everett Collection

Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) is not quite the greatest stoner in the history of film (we'll be getting to *The Big Lebowski*'s Dude in a little while), but his surfer-dude personality from *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* became a bitchin' archetype for kindred adventurers like Bill and Ted to follow.

Reefer Madness (1936)

(Clockwise from top left): Kenneth Craig as Bill, Dave O’Brien as Ralph Wiley, Lillian Miles as Blanche, Warren McCollum as Jimmy Lane, and Dorothy Short as Mary Lane in ‘Reefer Madness’. Everett Collection

Ostensibly, a terrifying cautionary tale about the dangers of marijuana-induced psychosis (with a poster that's become a dorm-room classic) — really more like Thornton Wilder's *Our Town* on drugs.

Tommy Chong can't get over Cheech Marin ditching iconic mustache: 'You're not Cheech'

Matthew McConaughey isn't really a shirtless stoner, wife says

Super Troopers (2002)

Geoffrey Arend as College Boy 3, Andre Vippolis as College Boy 1, Jay Chandrasekhar as State Trooper Arcot 'Thorny' Ramathorn (outside of car), and Joey Kern as College Boy 2 in 'Super Troopers'. Fox Searchlight

A highway patrol pot caper involving a bear costume, syrup-drinking contests, and an Afghan cartoon monkey carrying coded Taliban messages. Come to think of it, *Super Troopers* should probably be higher (pun intended) on the list.

Knocked Up (2007)

Charlyne Yi as Jodi, Martin Starr as Martin, Jonah Hill as Jonah, and Seth Rogen as Ben Stone in 'Knocked Up'. Suzanne Hanover

Seth Rogen's slacker father-to-be in *Knocked Up* never had a choice. His name is Ben Stone, and his juvenile housemates and even his dad (Harold Ramis) are chronic fans of chronic.

Up in Smoke (1978)

Tommy Chong as Anthony 'Man' Stoner and Cheech Marin as Pedro De Pacas in 'Up in Smoke'.

The Kobal Collection/WireImage

Cheech and Chong (Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong) bring their doobie-brothers act to the big screen, at one point illegally crossing the border in a van made entirely of reefer.

Half Baked (1998)

Jim Breuer as Brian, Guillermo Díaz as Scarface, and Dave Chappelle as Thurgood in 'Half Baked'. Everett Collection

A rainbow coalition of celebrity cameos populates this whacked-out film that's sort of about Dave Chappelle dealing stolen medical marijuana and sort of about Jon Stewart saying, "...on WEED!"

Friday (1995)

Ice Cube as Craig Jones and Chris Tucker as Smokey in 'Friday'. Everett Collection

On Friday, with nothing to do, Ice Cube and Chris Tucker get high, sit on a porch, and watch the world go by. Oh, and they learn some important life lessons.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Kal Penn as Kumar Patel and John Cho as Harold Lee in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'. Sophie Giraud

A pair of pals (John Cho and Kal Penn) quest for tiny burger bundles of joy. Their totally baked journey includes a stop at Princeton (for more weed), a ride on an escaped cheetah, and an encounter with Neil Patrick Harris (playing himself) — who's high on ecstasy and looking to get laid. Stoner movies don't get much more creative than that.

How High (2001)

Method Man as Silas P. Silas and Redman as Jamal King in 'How High'. Sam Urdank

Method Man and Redman smoke weed planted in the ashes of a dead friend, and his ghost gets them into Harvard. Happens all the time, or, at least, it happens in *How High.*

Pineapple Express (2008)

James Franco as Saul Silver and Seth Rogen as Dale Denton in 'Pineapple Express'. Darren Michaels

In what might be one of the only stoner action movies, two unlikely doobie brothers, process server Dale (Seth Rogen) and groovy dealer Saul (James Franco), bond over the "dopest dope I ever smoked," the potent Pineapple Express, while being chased by corrupt cops.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey 'the Dude' Lebowski in 'The Big Lebowski'. Merrick Morton

The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is the greatest stoner in the history of film because the Dude abides, dude.

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater and Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson in 'Dazed and Confused'.

Gramercy Pictures/Everett Collection

Richard Linklater's slacker opus *Dazed and Confused* glides along on a buzz stoked by Aerosmith and carefree youth. You don't need to have a joint to hang with these Texas teens celebrating their last day of school...but as Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) would say, "it'd be a lot cooler if you did."

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