Although Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong pioneered the stoner comedy genre, the cult film franchise nearly looked much different.
While appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday, the duo discussed their new documentary Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie and reminisced about the Oscar-nominated director they tried to recruit to helm one of their films.
“One time, I called Terrence Malick—I’m a big fan of Terrence Malick, his movies are incredible—because we were looking for a director,” Chong recalled to Maher. “And we had a little conversation. I knew I was bugging him. I had that feeling. He was like, ‘Who is this?’”
Citing Badlands (1973) as one of his influences, Chong appreciated the “composition … the whole movie experience” of Malick’s work.
He continued, “So, I talked to him. And it was a short conversation. He said, ‘Did you write it?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘Well then, you direct it.’ And I said, ‘OK.’ It made sense to me.”
Directed by David L. Bushell, Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie features conversations with the titular duo, reflecting on their decades-long friendship and success as a comedy duo that met working at Chong’s family strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1969.
After moving to Los Angeles and releasing a number of comedy albums, the pair released their first feature Up in Smoke in 1978. The film was followed by Cheech and Chong‘s Next Movie (1980), Nice Dreams (1981), Things Are Tough All Over (1982), Still Smokin (1983) and Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers (1984).
Following the release of their 1985 album Get Out of My Room, Marin left the duo to focus on his solo acting career, starring in and making his directorial with Born in East L.A. (1987).
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