Remembering Miloš Forman, The First Marijuana Comedy Director

You may never have heard of Miloš Forman, but you should have. At least if you think movies about weed are funny, you should have heard of him. Miloš Forman did win two Academy Awards for directing two amazing films, Amadeus (1985) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next (1976) of course starring Jack Nicholson. But the movie you may never have heard of and may become a quick favorite is Taking Off from 1971. Unfortunately, Mr. Forman passed away last week at the age of 86.

In his movie Taking Off, rich New Yorkers just do not know what to do about their out of control children that are regular potheads. So, they seek out guidance from a support group led by Vincent Schiavelli to discover how to manage their young stoners. They are advised by their support group to learn and understand what could be drawing their teenagers to marijuana by indulging in a smoke session themselves. Joints are passed around the group that do not seem entirely turned off by the idea and hilarity ensues. Do not take our word for it. Check out the scence below and see for yourself why this is weed news nobody wants to miss.

How to Smoke a Joint from Nima on Vimeo.

On top of winning two Academy Awards, Miloš Forman won the Grand Prix award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival for Taking Off. That is seven years before Cheech and Chong made Up in Smoke. The Grand Prix award virtually makes Taking Off to most acclaimed stoner movie of all time. It is astonishing to see how ahead of the times many of the people of the 60’s and 70’s were and how much they have influenced our culture today. In the film clip notice references to boggarting and roaches. It makes movies like Pineapple Express make a lot of sense even though they may never had planned on it making sense in the first place.

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Academy AwardsCheech and Chongmarijuana legalizationMiloš Formanstoner moviesTaking Offweed news