Cheech (Cheech Marin) and Chong (Tommy Chong) are up to their ridiculous drug-infused brand of misadventures. Cheech loses his job and gets his welfare clerk girl Donna in trouble. Cheech's cousin Red (Cheech Marin) can't pay his hotel bill and the clerk (Paul Reubens) is holding his luggage. Chong helps Red steal his luggage packed with marijuana. This powers Red and Chong on a wild adventure of their own.The plot meanders all over the place. It feels like they wrote it as they went along. It still has the duo's irreverent fun. It's stupid and it's a good buddy comedy. It's also terrific to see Paul Reubens and a few tangential connections to his Pee Wee character. The movie has the Tequila song at one point. Reubens does one of his iconic Pee Wee lines. He's also an angry standup comic donning his iconic bow-tie suit. The comedy isn't that consistent but it does have a wild sense of fun and at times, a biting sense of satire.

The second movie featuring the stoner duo has them continue their goofy adventures. There are gags with pee, songs, and even a brothel. "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie" is one cool litany of silliness! I understand that a heavily edited version appears on TV; like hell I'll watch an edited version of Cheech & Chong. I want to see those guys do what they're known for, and so I've only seen the full movie. A really funny one.Along with the main stars, the movie also has Evelyn Guerrero, Edie McClurg, Paul Reubens (as Pee-Wee Herman for the very first time) and Cassandra Peterson (sorry, not as Elvira).Yes, it's very much a period piece, but how can you not die laughing at what C&C do?

The problem in making a great sequel to a popular original film is that the filmmakers involved with the sequel often end up trying only to match the previous films box office success. Rather than bother with the creation of something new, or at the very least a variation of the original, 'Next Movie' rides Tommy Chong into a sophomore slump (Chong was an unaccredited Director for 'Up In Smoke') of sorts, as the movie becomes nothing more than a faded carbon copy of 'Up In Smoke'. Following the familiar formula of success from the last film, this film has the duo falling into strange and sticky situations that somehow always leave them on the outside of the joke, just able to slip through each scene unscathed and unaffected. These excursions into the bizarre rarely hit for big laughs (the office scene excluded), but rather only lead to a semi comic payoff. You can't set your sights too high when the first words that are heard in the movie are those coming from Chong saying, "This is bullsh*t". Seeing that Tommy Chong directed this movie, I'll take him at his word. The thing is, although I would agree that 'Next Movie' is largely bullsh*t, it doesn't really matter to Cheech & Chong as they continue to look entirely comfortable going down the same road of comedy, doing the same things for laughs. They wander the streets of Los Angeles, they smoke a lot of pot, they become involved in many different surreal moments of chance that ultimately culminate into a makeshift performance on a stage in a Los Angeles nightclub. Sound familiar? Did I just describe 'Up In Smoke' or 'Next Movie'? Fans of Cheech & Chong will defend the movie, but you would expect as much. If you've seen 'Up In Smoke' recently and liked it and have never seen 'Next Movie' then I would say you might like 'Next Movie', but don't get your hopes up too much. For the most part the laughs come out at you front on and totally obvious. On the rare occasion that a laugh comes at you from out of nowhere it almost always arrives not from Cheech & Chong, but rather from one the talented extras in the cast.The performances from the rest of the cast, most notably Paul Reubens and Edie McClurg are what stand out as good. Watching Paul Reubens loose his composure at the hotel desk, then later at the nightclub are by far the best scenes in the movie. Edie McClurg has a very small part in the film, but is funny in every scene she's in. And of course 'the office' scene where an narcoleptic man is constantly burning his own leg with a cigarette while nodding in and out of sleep while an old man sitting nearby offers no help, but only bothers to laugh at him at every burn is truly inspired. But the attempt from Cheech to play a new character named 'Red' doesn't really add much to 'Next Movie' and comes off as desperation wrapped in a wig with an endless supply of weed and zig zags. And let's face it, the only time this type of desperation is ever funny is when the paper is confetti and the dope under the wig is Rip Taylor.6/10 Clark Richards

Ok, needless to say, this film is only going to appeal to a certain audience; namely stoners and like-minded people.That being said, if you are one of these aformentioned people, this film is a MUST. In fact, I think it should be mandatory for head shops to sell a copy of it to anyone purchasing their first bong. What Monty Python's Holy Grail is to geeks and nerds, so is this movie to potheads. I first saw this film 10 years ago or so, and I still crack up every time I watch it. The jokes perfectly lampoon the pothead lifestyle, far better than latter day knockoffs like Half-Baked attempt to.There isn't a plot, so to speak; the film is more of a collection of various skits; as the films protagonists wander around Los Angeles in their legendary haze. Despite this, the film has an excellent sense of pace, and doesn't drag at all. Many people cite Up In Smoke as C&C's best work, but I would have to say that Next Movie is superior.So if you're in the mood for an hour and half of belly laughs, light up, tune in, and let your mind float away =)Oh, and FREE TOMMY CHONG!