The Lecturer (Cumming) gathers the parents of teenagers for an important presentation. He tells them the story of the Harper Incident...
Jimmy Harper (C. Campbell) is wholesome and innocent, and head over heels in love with naive Mary Lane (Bell). Mary is the prettiest girl at school and a great dancer, but Jimmy has two left feet. While panicking about their pending dancing date, Jimmy meets Jack Stone (Weber) who has the answer. Smooth talking Jack takes Jimmy to meet his friends: his girlfriend Mae (Gasteyer), college dropout Ralph (Kassir), and neurotic Sally (Spangler). They introduce Jimmy to the world of marijuana, and soon he looses interest in everything else.
Based on the 1936 exploitation film of the same name, Reefer Madness was turned into an off-Broadway musical in 2001 (it premiered in 1998 in Los Angeles). Most of the cast from the original show reprises their roles here, and the show is mostly the same. The main changes involve the role of Jack... the actor playing Jack (originally Robert Torti, who plays Jesus in the film) plays multiple roles, which are portrayed by other actors in the film.
It is an irreverent musical, often compared to the style of Moulin Rouge!. With fun choreography and bright costumes, it is a fun musical. Not one to watch with the kids... it was on Showtime after all. Lots of swearing and inappropriate songs / moments. I love Kristen Bell, and she is a riot here... which is the main reason I watched this film, and I admit I did enjoy it. Alan Cummings is also worth mentioning... he plays the Lecturer (and other assorted characters) with a sly wink holding the parents in the palm of his hand.
Definitely not for everyone.
Reefer Madness (2005) 109 minutes
Rating: R for drug material, sexual content and some violence
Director: Andy Fickman
Starring: Kristen Bell as Mary Lane
Christian Campbell as Jimmy Harper
Neve Campbell as Miss Poppy
Alan Cumming as Lecturer
Ana Gasteyer as Mae Coleman
John Kassir as Ralph Wiley
Amy Spangler as Sally DeBanis
Robert Torti as Jesus
Steven Weber as Jack Stone
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