By John Daniel Quinto Tangalin
This week is a very important week for stoners. If you cannot check out Evil Dead Rise or Beau Is Afraid in theaters, then suffice it to say it is best to stay home this April 20th. Rather than celebrate by sparking heated discourse on social media, just spark up a special plant-based herb, sit back, and relax as you browse through Netflix's list of stoner flicks. Whether it is movies about drug-takers or movies for drug-takers, we have some potent stoner flicks to check out on this most trippy day.
Check out our full list of the best stoner movies on Netflix below!
NOTE: The author of this article did not write this article under any influence while writing this article. Also, minor spoilers ahead for those who have not seen any of these movies.
Films for the Stoner State of Mind
21 Jump Street (2012)
Genre(s): action, comedy, crime
One of their first live-action directorial projects six years prior to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made such an incredible buddy cop movie about two young-ish undercover police officers as they learn to break from their former archetypal high school roles. While a more obvious selection of a stoner movie, 21 Jump Street cemented itself through Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's inseparable chemistry. With a lovely supporting cast from Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Ice Cube, Jake Johnson, Dakota Johnson, and more, you can never go wrong with this early-2010s cult classic.
Dope (2015)
Genre(s): coming-of-age, comedy, crime, drama
Speaking of Lord and Miller, Shameik Moore leads this radical live-action flick a few years ahead of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Before The Mandalorian, filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa wrote and directed a (wait for it) dope film about life as a Blerd (Black nerd). With a crazy great soundtrack, appearances from music artists ASAP Rocky, Tyga, Vince Staples, Casey Veggies, and more, Dope is a moving narrative with themes on drugs, social standards, and making jams with your best friends. Tony Revolori and queer actor Kiersey Clemons deliver memorable performances as the supporting characters. This film cannot be recommended enough, and it just comes to show that Famuyiwa deserves his bundle of roses.
Zombieland (2009)
Genre(s): action, comedy, horror
Continuing the Sony Pictures love, Ruben Fleischer begins his filmmography with an important horror comedy. Unfortunately, Shaun of the Dead is currently unavailable on Netflix, so we will have to go with this. Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone lead this zombie flick, Woody Harrelson eats Twinkies, Bill Murray is mortally wounded, and Amber Heard portrays a zombie. If Scream provided the rules of surviving a slasher horror and Final Destination taught viewers how to cheat death, then you can add Zombieland to the list of horror movies with guidelines, this time giving insight on how to outrun or beat the undead.
Entergalactic (2022)
Genre(s): animated, comedy, drama, music, romance
If you loved the visual and musical vibes of Into the Spider-Verse, then you will encounter no issues with Entergalactic. Although technically rendered a television special, this Scott Mescudi-centric narrative runs for just over an hour and a half. The voice cast alone is enough to get you hooked. Stoners can watch this title paired with Kid Cudi's album of the same name. Can you feel the love?
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Genre(s): crime, neo-noir, thriller
While Jackie Brown is a more obvious stoner flick from Quentin Tarantino's early filmography, Reservoir Dogs is another underrated classic to watch during the festive time. Shoot-outs, men codenamed after a sweet array of colors, and an ageless scene about tipping diner restaurant waittresses, this is a film to make you think. Or not think. It is enough to blow your minds when all is said and done.
Project Power (2020)
Genre(s): action, crime, science-fiction
An underrated gem from The Batman scribe, Mattson Tomlin, Project Power follows Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback as their characters consume drugs known as “Power” to gain superhuman abilities. It is probably the closest we will get to a creatively well-done live-action Ben 10, although there is no complaining here. From the filmmaking duo who gave us two Paranormal Activity installments and 2016's Nerve, you will not waste your time with this sci-fi trip and its high stakes!
Brüno (2009)
Genre(s): comedy, mockumentary
Character actor Sacha Baron Cohen teams up with Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm screenwriter Larry Charles, who directs this Universal Pictures masterpiece. Just one of a handful of projects made at the risk of being murdered by those from a particular end of the political spectrum, Brüno is quite the hilarious film for your viewing pleasure while stoned. There is never a moment where you will not be laughing, and if not, you will be crying. No parody or spoof movie will be able to beat this!
Matilda (1996)
Genre(s): comedy, family, fantasy
Yes, we know that a musical version of Roald Dahl's children's novel released on Netflix last year, but there is no passing on a movie involving Danny DeVito. Mara Wilson plays a child prodigy with psychokinetic abilities, a former Olympian athlete-turned elementary school principal (Pam Ferris) punishes a child (Jimmy Karz) by having him eat a whole chocolate cake, and the protagonist's whole family runs from the law by moving to Guam. Only the mind of Roald Dahl can come up with these kinds of stories, so it would be unusual to not include this on our stoner films list!
Shark Tale (2004)
Genre(s): animation, adventure, comedy
Finding Nemo exists for a reason, and yet, Finding Nemo does not have Martin Scorsese voicing a computer-animated pufferfish in one of the best cinematic achievements thus far. Shark Tale follows Will Smith and Jack Black as their characters traverse the criminal underground… err, underwater. Supported by Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Scorsese collaborator Robert De Niro, and The Sopranos stars, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore, Shark Tale makes for an exciting family film! In fact, any DreamWorks Animation feature film is good stoner movie if sufficiently stoned. Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, heck, even Shrek!
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Genre(s): adventure, comedy, family, fantasy
If you were living during November 2003 and had to pick between Bo Welch's The Cat in the Hat and the Wachowski sisters' The Matrix Revolutions, then you had to opt for the more chillaxed choice, right? Right? This Dr. Seuss film adaptation follows Mike Myers (in a role between the first two Shrek films) as he portrays, you guessed it, a grown man dressed as a cat who is wearing a hat. What could possibly go awry in a movie intended for children? To be blunt, next to 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat is monumental family flick that is in no way and absolutely not nightmare fuel for stoners. From the co-writer of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, and Barry comes this iconic cult classic. It is such an utter shame we could not get any more live-action adaptations from works by Theodor Geisel…
Honorable Mention
Love, Death & Robots (2019 onwards)
Genre(s): action, animation, comedy, fantasy, horror, science-fiction
While not technically a movie, this anthology streaming series serves as David Fincher and Tim Miller's long-term television reboot and reimagining of Gerald Potterton's 1981 Canadian adult animated anthology film, Heavy Metal. Both cross-genre titles possess psychedelic imagery within their countless stories, earning their statuses as underrated gems. Recommended Love, Death & Robots episodes include “Sonnie's Edge”, “Good Hunting”, “The Secret War”, “The Drowned Giant”, “Kill Team Kill”, “Swarm”, “In Vaulted Halls Entombed”, and “Jibaro”!
Final Thoughts: Best Stoner Movies on Netflix
Which of these stoners movies have you seen on Netflix? Let us know in the comment section below!
