User reviews

Method Man and Redman - but especially the former, who also is the lead in this and the duo! They deliver - and I can't imagine that a (pseudo?) Sequel without them works! I might watch How High 2 one day, but from what I read on here the movie that was released 18 years after the original does not stand up to this.

And it's not that this sets a high filmmaking bar or anything, but it does deliver the goods when it comes to comedy, especially the kind that has to do with ... a certain drug, that has been legalized in some countries and parts of the world. Even if I personally don't smoke at all, it seems that if anyone was to smoke anything it should be this instead of the normal cigarettes that do way more harm to your health.

But this is not about a social message and should not be viewed as such! This is an over the top comedy that does not make much sense in the real world (a lot of this are being taken to a degree that are plain ridiculous - for comedy effect). The movie has quite the charm I have to admit and if you are not too PC, you can and will laugh at the madness at hand here

Jesse Dylan's (yes son of Bob Dylan if that's and indication) How High is a concoction of weed, more weed, college and sheer belly laughs. There is something about marijuana used in comedies that makes the comedy better, though it depends on if the jokes are delivered right and with the right zing. Cheech and Chong had that to a T and comedies like Half Baked and Friday got pretty close to that tradition, as does this movie which is surprising since this is Method Man and Redman's first comedy together and is co-produced by Danny DeVito.

Method Man here is a mass weed grower who grinds the ashes of his departed friend into his plant which helps him and his new friend played by Redman, score high on exams that get them excepted into Harvard university. This kicks off the usual lot of characters you would expect in a college comedy- the losers, the jock, the overly harsh teachers and dean, the nice girl the lead gets and other girls.

From the looks of that plotline it looks pretty standard and it is if you take the film as seriously as you would Up In Smoke and Animal House, but the film's big kick comes from the charm (did I just say that?) and humor from the two stars, the gags they encounter and the supporting characters input as well. In other words, if you mind the grass, this isn't for you, but for people who are fans of the stars or just want a high comedy time, this is for you. Hector Elizondo, Jeffrey Jones have small parts; Cypress Hill appears unbilled. A-

Like many other people, I expected a stereotypical "black" movie or a "pot" movie. And sure, you have many black jokes and many pot jokes in this film, but it's done in a surprisingly intelligent way that was both funny and incredibly original. Too many drug movies are simply rehashed (pun intended) but this was not one of them.

The movie has Method Man and Redman entering Harvard where they teach others to stop being so uptight. Again, it sounds over like you've seen it before, but certain things here you won't see elsewhere. Things I can't say without giving away later parts of the film. But I can say it crosses a line where if you are easily offended or are very patriotic, you might get a little steamed.

The acting? Fine, for a comedy. The plot, decent. The writing, quite good. The music was surprisingly good. There was, of course, a great deal of rap music. But other kinds of music were incorporated to round the feel of the movie out. I even heard Rammstein, which would seem out of place but really wasn't.

Oh, and Lark Voorhies ("Saved by the Bell") co-stars, which would make this the second greatest college film to star a SBTB alumnus (the best being "Dead Man on Campus").

I would recommend this film. I went in to it expecting some horrible trash, but left with a smile on my face and a new appreciation for Method Man and Redman.

It's been done before in "Friday", and "Up in Smoke." There's no great plot line. There's no moral plea. There's no character development, cool graphics, intense cinematography or internal conflict. And yet.

This movie defies all the rules of story writing and film making. The absolute preposterousness of the storyline alone is intellectually offensive. And yet.

It was hilarious. From beginning to end, I laughed.

Warning: This is what my mother would call "ignorant humor". The things that in the opinion of the majority degrade and offend, but for some reason are funny.

Rappers Method Man (Wu Tang Clan) and Redman play two "potheads" (for lack of a better term) who through the use of a magical herb attain brilliance and gain acceptance to Harvard University. There is a scene that spoofs the old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial where Method's character Silas sits in his car with a bag of contraband and no blunt. In the next car Redman's character Jamal sits in his car with blunt and no contraband. And thus a friendship is born. The two Ivy Leaguers wreak havoc along the Eastern Seaboard Cheech and Chong style.

You can tell by watching his MTV Cribs special that he has a funny bone. But who knew Redman was a bonafide comedian. Method Man was more or less the straight man but the rest of the ensemble cast provided enough laughs to split your sides. Especially notable was Mike Epps who portrayed Babypowder the Pimp. Can you imagine a pimp at Harvard? The alumni will no doubt write many letters.

Parents: The subject matter of this film is questionable. This film may not be suitable for children. Unless you smoked a lot of "grass" back in the 70's. Then you can't trip because you'll be hypocrite if you do.

There's more marijuana in this film than "Friday" and "Next Friday" put together. If that's a turn on for you then by all means see the film.

If it's a turn off for you go see it anyway. The Harvard Pimp is worth it.

Don't tell my mother I laughed.

A funny movie for weed smokers. It's not to be taken seriously. Some parts are real stupid, like the pimp guys, while some are make you chuckle. I don't know if I'd recommend it. C, maybe C+, 6/10

I watched the film High and thought it was hilarious, I kept cracking up. But I watched it sober and didn't really think it was that funny. So morale of the story if you want to enjoy the film you better watch it high.

"How High" tells of two ghetto blacks (the African American equivalent of Cheech & Chong) who smoke a friend (literally) which gets them into Harvard where they...um, do stuff. A classy presentation with considerable less classy humor, this flick has a much more clever premise than plot and plot than story. Okay stuff for those into raunchy outrageousness which crosses the black/white divide.

Note - The DVD I watched had no closed captioning but did have subtitles were all over the screen and so large they must have been intended for the visually impaired.

I understand the fact that everyone has got their own taste when it comes to a movie genre and therefore some might feel that a "comedy" is based on a particular set of principles, essentially going into humour. But there are different ways in which many people perceive humour, some believe it's all about the jokes, some enjoy the swearing involved and others might love the typical Woody Allen script.

This movie isn't set to achieve an Oscar or any kind of prestigious award. I am pretty sure that that was the last thing that came through the writer's and director's minds. The only thing they intended to do was to make a film that could be enjoyed by the audience that loves the stereo-typing comedy films, which to be honest is growing faster and faster. And they nailed it.

The story is hilarious, the acting, well method and redman are hilarious at what they do best, which is fool around. Don't expect any intelligent sophisticated humour or satire. I'm not implying that the movie is full of dumb humour, on the contrary, its loaded with brilliant funny situations and loads of jokes. If you liked soul plane, then you're going to love this one.

So don't vote negatively just because it wasn't your cup of tea and try to understand that there's a different generation out there that really appreciates a good fun entertaining movie to watch as they also appreciate the other styles of "comedy".

This movie has every stereotype from a to z and 1 to infinity.

Its a fun movie that abused cliché stereotypes.

Meth and Red do a decent good job to say the least.

Not a great movie, but it keeps your attention and does have some laughs. I don't do any of that ganja stuff, but this was still pretty entertaining to me.

Fortunately, fart and puke jokes were kept to a minimum (about two of the former, and just one of the latter); otherwise it was pretty intelligent and tasteful, all things considered. Lotta funny racial stuff. A bit of stereotyping, yeah, but most of it was intentional and for comedic effect (like the pimps, which weren't that funny, though). There were a lot of interesting and relevant social points in there, too. I think.

The thing about digging up the dead president and blending his hand was some fun sh!t, man! Too bad it didn't work (it was supposed to conjure up the guy's ghost).

Hot damn, Lark Voorhies is one mouthwateringly sweet babe. Worth watching just for her.

I don't reckon I'll ever bother to see it again, though. Or on second thought, maybe I will.

5 out of 10.

This movie is legendary! Method Man Redman are so awesome throughout, they have the best personalities! A movie about getting high, going to Harvard and being hilarious in many scenes. Jesse Dylan made such a classic gem in comedy/ entertainment. I've seen How High many years ago and didn't appreciate it as much now I think it's a pleasant experience that I love!

Making a comedy based around pot-smoking, for an appropriate audience that certainly doesn't want to have to concentrate too much, should not usually pose much of a problem for film-makers. But for the producers of this movie they sure have proved that this was a challenge they were willing to not only take on and accept, but then monumentally lose at.

Production-value wise it comes across as a quite polished and adequately accomplished piece, mostly on the whole. The only problem being, and it's a biggy.... is that the predicaments, scenes, and jokes just aren't all that funny. And that is even though they are unquestionably coming from the almost bottomless source-material pit known as "base-humour". Having seen the fantastic "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and the absolutely superb and unmatched "Don't Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" i know how good African-American base-humour comedies can be. In fact, Juice in the Hood is easily one of the best comedies i have ever seen. But this movie pales into absolute insignificance when compared to the non-stop bellylaugh quality humour of either of those. And therefore, with such high expectations, it only added to my eventual disappointment when i watched this film of mostly monotonous and largely childish fodder. Terrible!

Being a proud fan of lowbrow humor and a fan of Method Man and Redman, "How High" seemed like a no-brainer comedy, and I was right! This movie can only do harm to people who get offended easily at racial stereotypes, pot smoking and more pot smoking. The movie pokes fun at everyone; class and race. One glance at How High would make you think they're trying to make another "Animal House". Well, I think it's up there. It's got everything except the fraternities. From childish pranks to goofy humor, Meth and Red carry the movie to its predictable conclusion. Many people will write this off as another "Black comedy", but it really is a comedy for everyone. It just "happens" to star two charismatic rap artists. Director Jesse Dylan (yes, Bob's son) knows how to set up a joke and pull the punchline. This film is far funnier than the last two "Friday" films combined (Yes, let's just compare it to other pothead comedies). The supporting cast is terrific as well, including the clueless Fred Willard and uptight Obba Babatunde. The only downside is Mike Epps' pimp character, done much better by Eddie Griffin in "Deuce Bigalow."

The bottom line: Rent it, have a few beers and some good laughs without taking it too seriously.

The guy that bashes this so much has no clue what its about. He claims its another black/pot movie? He has no culture. Don't be naive and "white"...it has a different cultural look at weed. It's not stereotypical, of course it is in ways...you can never avoid stereotypes.

Redman and Methodman are entertaining. It's not the best.

I just wanted to defend a decent movie from that silly attack. He categorizes it and stereotypes it where it doesn't have a chance.

It's worth a watch if you get the chance. But check my other reviews for some other good suggestions.

Method Man surprised me with his stylish kind and that is the main thing which makes this movie funny. The endings is the standard "everything is alright, everyone is happy (and high)" thing, so I gave it only a 7.

Firstly I want to say: I have to comment this film as reaction to negative commentaries. I found that people who have written attacking commentary must have a bad experience with drugs (I mean light, I count alcohol in this group), or are hypocritical and never taste it. Most people are enjoying talking (and writing) about things that they don't know and that they don't understand. I vote 9 because it is great comedy even I know that most people will not understand 90 percent of jokes. But every voting is subjective, isn't it? So for people who did not see this film ever and maybe they will: don't expect anything, because expectation will make deformation of your feelings and understanding. And If you are apriori of anti-drugs intence: do not see it rather. It is very easy to give it bad evaluation but it is very difficult to make good comedy. Keep it in mind and vote if you like it. And if you liked it, watch it again: you will find another jokes.

How High is a film that lends nothing, I repeat, nothing to the film community at large. I have read some critics that say that this film introduced a whole new generation to the Cheech & Chong of the new millennium with the Redman/Method Man pairing. While most seem to agree that this is a horrible film, very few of them mention how utterly racist the overall experience happens to be. When I use the word racist, I mean that it builds upon the degenerate clichés that African Americans struggle with on a daily basis with our society. While there were elements in this film that seemed like there was some reverse racism occurring, what struck me hardest in the face was how embarrassing Method Man and Redman must be to both the film community, but also to their own culture. I have a very open mind when it comes to social issues as well as films, but this one left my jaw on the floor several times. The blatant swings at African American stereotypes were meant to be a source of humor for director Jesse Dylan, but instead fell flat on their embarrassed face. Humor was in very short supply in this film due to the ethnic stereotype clichés that seemed to be used nearly every second of this film. Nothing was original. Nothing was exciting.

Was the pairing of Redman and Method Man an idea of comedic proportions? I think not. As you can tell from their short lived series after the release of this film, the corporate world wanted to cash in on these two rappers, but soon realized that they were not as bankable as they thought. Why? Method Man and Redman, who completely different people, were nothing more than the same character in this film. With the very subtle hints of Method Man being smarter, nothing could separate the equality of these two characters. That is why they failed as a comic team. Think of Matthau and Lemmon or the above example of Cheech & Chong, what made these teams work while the How High team crashed and burned? What worked the best were the differences that uniquely drew the pair together. Their differences made us laugh and sympathetically brought them together, but with Method Man and Redman, they were the same. I was watching the same two characters fight through the same two challenges in this film. What tried to be funny instead transformed into repetitive. What Dylan did to counter the similarity between Redman/Method Man was bring in obscure secondary characters that added nothing to the flimsy plot or helped us feel emotion for our two main characters. The cliché jock, the cliché frat boy, the cliché Asian (which was again another racist moment), and the cliché rich white boy, just felt and were old. Watch college films from the 70s and you will see these same combinations, but what makes the films from the 70s different is that they used them with originality. How High, from beginning to end, was anything but original.

I must admit, after watching this film of which Harvard was willing to loan their name to, I don't want to go to Harvard. They should have pondered the effects this film would have upon their prestige heritage. How High is a dark spot in Harvard's history. Do you know what makes it even worse? This film wasn't even created at or anywhere near Harvard. Again, Dylan was cutting corners to create a false sense of realism that continued to hurt this film. How High has no redeeming qualities. Ooops, I stand corrected. The only smile that was ever created on my face during this film was when Spalding Gray spoke. How did they get him and Fred Willard to do this film? I have said it once, I will say it again, some actors just need their bills paid. Inconsistency, incompetence, and aggravation seemed to be the hidden themes of this dud. What destroyed this film further is that if you take the actors away and look at the story in general, it is nothing. There is no original story at all with How High. Going to college, working for your grades, winning over the heart of the President right at the last minute – this was nothing short of a "cut and paste" film that had no backbone and horrid acting!

I do not like Jesse Dylan's style of directing. While I think Kicking and Screaming is his prized film (due greatly to Will Ferrell), all of his films seem to be extremely choppy with the editing and are randomly interjected with an overdose of unnecessary scenes. The John Adams scene in How High is a prime example. The Benjamin Franklin moments is another. The unconcluded "Truth Serum" can be considered another. How High was just scene after scene of inconsistency. Lumpy oatmeal would win first place before this film would ever be congratulated! I blame a majority of the issues with this film on Jesse Dylan. If he would have tightened the script, created unique and "cult-like" characters, and eliminated the racism, he may have had the quintessential "weed" film in Hollywood.

Overall, this was one of the worst films that I have witnessed. Never have I been so emotionally charged about the racist moments in this film as I have with How High. The actors, all around, were horrible. The story had no legs to stand on and it became very obvious after the opening credits that unless you were either 10 to 15 years of age, this film would never be considered a comedy. Nothing was funny. Nothing will make you laugh. The only part worth enjoying in this film is the ending credits. The ending credits give you a chance to walk away and forget this part of your cinematic life.

Grade: * out of *****

If you have not seen this movie yet i would suggest that you would. If your big hip hop fans like i am you'll be pleased with this title. Don't expect it to be as good as the friday series though. But it's still a renter that will make for a good weekend watcher. Cheech and Chong mixed with a little hip hop flavor.

This movie is so so horriable and awful!!! I was expecting so much more from two talented rappers...but gesh did i ever get fooled! Please dont waste 3 bucks to rent this worthless piece of trash!! This movie gets a big fat score of ZERO!!!!!!!!!