View source for How High

{{short description|2001 film by Jesse Dylan}}
{{for-multi|the Madonna song|Confessions on a Dance Floor{{!}}''Confessions on a Dance Floor''|the Charlatans song|Tellin' Stories}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = How High
| image          = How High poster.JPG
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = 
| director       = [[Jesse Dylan]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Pamela Abdy]]
* [[Danny DeVito]]
* James Ellis
* [[Shauna Garr]]
* [[Michael Shamberg]]
* [[Stacey Sher]]
}}
| writer         = [[Dustin Abraham]]
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Method Man]]
* [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]]
* [[Obba Babatundé]]
* [[Mike Epps]]
* [[Jeffrey Jones]]
* [[Fred Willard]]
}}
| music          = [[Rockwilder]]
| cinematography = [[Francis Kenny]]
| editing        = Larry Bock
| studio         = [[Jersey Films]] <br />Native Pictures
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|2001|12|21}}
| runtime        = 103 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $12–20 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title=How High (2001) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-High#tab=summary |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref><ref name="mojo" />
| gross          = $31.3 million<ref name="mojo">{{mojo title|howhigh|How High}}</ref>
}}

'''''How High''''' is a 2001 American [[stoner film|stoner]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Jesse Dylan]] in his feature directorial debut and written by [[Dustin Lee Abraham]]. The film follows two [[cannabis]] users who gain admission to [[Harvard University]] with the supernatural help of a deceased friend whose ashes were used to fertilize a [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] plant.

Produced by [[Jersey Films]] and Native Pictures and distributed by [[Universal Pictures]], ''How High'' was released on December 21, 2001. The film received generally negative reviews from critics,<ref name="tomatoes" /><ref name="metacritic" /> but later gained a cult following. A sequel, ''[[How High 2]]'', was released in 2019.

== Plot ==
Silas and Jamal are two underachieving stoners preparing to take their "[[Tetrahydrocannabinol|THC]]" exam—a parody of the [[SAT]] and a reference to marijuana's active ingredient. Silas has a new strain of marijuana, grown using the ashes of his recently deceased friend Ivory. Jamal has a cigar but no weed, while Silas has weed but no cigar. They team up, smoke together, and discover that doing so summons Ivory's ghost, visible only to them. During the exam, Ivory gives them all the answers, allowing them to score perfect results.

Several colleges offer them scholarships, but none seem interesting until the Chancellor of Harvard, under pressure to increase minority enrollment, convinces them to attend. Once at Harvard, they meet Bart, the snobbish rowing team captain; his girlfriend Lauren; their silent, thieving friend known as I Need Money; and their roommates Jeffrey and Tuan. Dean Carl Cain informs them they must maintain a minimum 2.0 [[GPA]] to remain enrolled.

Jamal joins the rowing team to compete with Bart, while Silas signs up for [[botany]] to refine his marijuana-growing skills. Both also take black history. With Ivory's help, they easily pass all their classes. Silas develops a romantic relationship with Lauren, and Jamal begins dating Jamie, the daughter of the U.S. vice president.

As the semester goes on, their disruptive antics—pranks and petty theft—anger Bart, Jeffrey (who's pledging a [[final club]]), and Dean Carl Cain. Things unravel after a raucous Halloween party when Gerald, a volunteer campus officer whose bike was destroyed by I Need Money, steals and smokes the Ivory plant, cutting off their access to Ivory's ghost.

Desperate to stay in school, Silas starts working on a [[truth serum]] for his botany final, hoping it will earn him an A and secure his spot next semester. His experiments repeatedly fail. Jamal suggests they dig up a "smart dead guy" and smoke his remains—eventually targeting [[John Quincy Adams]]—but this plan also fails. They try studying, but still fail most of their midterms.

Meanwhile, Gerald—now a heavy stoner—has a vision of Ivory, who persuades him to return the remaining bit of the plant to Silas and Jamal. However, the supply is too small to help them improve their grades. Just as they prepare to give up, Jeffrey reminds Silas that success with his truth serum would guarantee his continuation at Harvard. Silas finally perfects the serum using the last of Ivory's leaves.

Though their grades exclude them from the alumni party, Jamie invites them as her dates. At the event, Silas tests his serum, and it works. Lauren presents a discovery among [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s artifacts that shocks the crowd—a historical bong. Ivory appears with Franklin's ghost to confirm its authenticity. Dean Carl Cain is outraged, but the Chancellor, fed up, fires him.

As the party continues, Dean Carl Cain returns with an axe in a failed attempt to attack Silas and Jamal. He is stopped by [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents. In the end, both are allowed to stay at Harvard. Jamie's father approves of her relationship with Jamal, and Lauren leaves Bart for Silas, claiming Bart "can't satisfy her."

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Method Man]] as Silas P. Silas
* [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] as Jamal King
* [[Obba Babatundé]] as Dean Carl Cain
* [[Mike Epps]] as "Baby Powder"
* [[Fred Willard]] as Phil Huntley
* [[Anna Maria Horsford]] as Mamma King
* [[Spalding Gray]] as Professor Jackson
* [[Jeffrey Jones]] as The Vice President
* [[Héctor Elizondo|Hector Elizondo]] as Bill, The Crew Coach
* [[Lark Voorhies]] as Lauren
* [[Al Shearer]] as "I Need Money"
* Chuck Davis as Ivory
* Chris Elwood as Bart
* [[Essence Atkins]] as Jamie
* [[T. J. Thyne|T.J. Thyne]] as Gerald
* Justin Urich as Jeffrey
* Trieu Tran as Tuan
* Dennison Samaroo as Amir
* [[Tracey Walter]] as Professor Wood
* [[Garrett Morris]] as Canned Pork Chop Commercial Pitchman Along with Tracy Morgan
* Alem Brhan as Jamaican
* [[Amber Smith]] as Professor Garr
* [[Melissa Peterman]] as Sheila Cain
* [[Tracy Morgan]] as Commercial Actor / Field of Dreams Guy (uncredited)
* [[Cypress Hill]] as Themselves
* [[Chuck Liddell]] as Himself in the Party Fight Scene
* [[Pat Finn (actor)|Pat Finn]] as Army Recruiter
* [[Judah Friedlander]] as The Bicyclist
* Patricia Fisher as "End Table Ass"
* Sacha Kemp as "Hella Back"
* Scruncho as "Baby Wipes"
}}

==Reception==
===Box office===
''How High'' collected $7.1 million during its opening weekend, ranking in fifth place at the box office below ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', ''[[Ocean's Eleven]]'', ''[[Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'' and ''[[Vanilla Sky]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal-fellowship-lords-over-weeke/124524156/ |title='Fellowship' lords over weekend box-office as No. 1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512224035/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signal-fellowship-lords-over-weeke/124524156/ |date=December 24, 2001 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |page=30 |publisher=[[The Santa Clarita Valley Signal|The Signal]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''How High'' has an approval rating of 25% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "How High is a sloppily constructed stoner movie filled with lame, vulgar jokes."<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web |title=How High (2001) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_high |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=15 October 2024 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film received a score of 29 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web |title=How High |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-high |website=[[Metacritic]] }}</ref>

Mike Clark of ''[[USA Today]]'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four. He concluded that it did not have enough material "to sustain its 91 minutes" but did have enough "low-grade laughs" for its target audience.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Mike |title='How High': Weed it and weep, stoners |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/enter/movies/2001-12-21-how-high-review.htm |access-date=April 21, 2020 |work=USA Today |date=December 20, 2001}}</ref> Ellen Kim of ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' said, "Unfortunately, this low-lowbrow comedy, which tries to pass itself off as a ''[[Friday (1995 film)|Friday]]'' crossed with ''[[Legally Blonde]]'', also does nothing to distinguish itself from recent urban flops ''[[The Wash (2001 film)|The Wash]]'' and ''[[Pootie Tang]]''."<ref>{{cite news|last=Kim |first=Ellen A. |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/51463_high21q.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020124172108/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/51463_high21q.shtml |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |title=Lowbrow 'How High' can't rise above urban prattle |date=December 21, 2001 |access-date=January 24, 2002 |archive-date=January 24, 2002}}</ref>

Writing for the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', Bob Graham noted that "It looks like a movie somebody hallucinated and put up on the screen". He praised some humorous scenes such as the exhumation of John Quincy Adams, but criticized an abrupt ending.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Bob |title=FILM CLIPS / Also opening today |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-CLIPS-Also-opening-today-2836395.php#high |access-date=April 21, 2020 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=December 21, 2001}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' rated it third in their "Best Stoner Movie" top ten list.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pastorek |first=Whitney |title=Joint Ventures |newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=August 6, 2004 |url=https://ew.com/article/2004/08/06/ews-top-10-list-best-stoner-flicks/ |access-date=May 23, 2007 |archive-date=June 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602115809/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,673986,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It also won the [[Stony Awards|Stony Award]] for Best Stoner Movie in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2002/03/daily-news-showtimes-lift-stony-winners-and-spooky-plans-80499/ |title=DAILY NEWS: Showtime's "Lift"; Stony Winners; and "Spooky" Plans |work=[[IndieWire]] |date=7 March 2002|access-date=2019-10-04 }}</ref>

==Home media==
''How High'' was released on [[DVD]] and [[VHS]] on May 21, 2002.<ref>{{cite news |last=Churnin |first=Nancy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-pooh-charms-in-25th/124032416/ |title=Pooh charms in 25th anniversary video edition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506011045/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-pooh-charms-in-25th/124032416/ |date=May 17, 2002 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=73 |work=Knight Ridder |publisher=[[The Greenville News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{main|How High (soundtrack)}}

==Sequel==
{{main|How High 2}}

In May 2002, a sequel to ''How High'' was reported as being written by Don D. Scott (the co-writer of ''[[Barbershop (film)|Barbershop]]''), with Method Man and Redman reprising their roles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMovies/may31_methodman-can.html|title=Method Man, Redman set for 'How High' sequel|date=May 31, 2002 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020612010200/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMovies/may31_methodman-can.html|archive-date=2002-06-12}}</ref>

In October 2008, Redman revealed that a script for the sequel was still in the middle of being written, stating that "we wanna represent all the smokers", believing that since ''How High'', no one has done justice on a stoner film.<ref>Cyrus Langhorne (14 October 2008). "[http://www.sohh.com/2008/10/redman_promises_fans_new.html New York: Redman Promises Fans New "Blackout" Album, "How High" Sequel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115114349/http://www.sohh.com/2008/10/redman_promises_fans_new.html |date=2008-11-15 }}". ''[[SOHH]]''. Accessed 27 November 2008.</ref> In April 2009, it was reported that Redman blamed [[Universal Pictures]] for the film's delay, stating: "They're not opening that money door for us to shoot it. We promoted the shit out of that movie. We got the whole world waiting for a ''How High 2''."<ref>Danica Dow (April 26, 2009. "[http://www.sohh.com/2009/04/redman_blames_universal_f.html Exclusive: SOHH Exclusive: Redman Blames Universal For "How High 2" Delay, "They're Not Opening That Money Door"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714151155/http://www.sohh.com/2009/04/redman_blames_universal_f.html |date=2014-07-14 }}". ''[[SOHH]]''. Accessed May 28, 2009.</ref>
 
In December 2010, Redman confirmed that Universal Pictures was indeed holding the rights to ''How High'', so the chances of ''How High 2'' coming out were slim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2010/12/redman-to-give-live-interview-on-xxlmag-com/ |title=[Watch Now&#93; Redman Gives Live Interview on |publisher=Xxlmag.Com |date=April 20, 2011}}</ref> In April 2013, Method Man told [[TMZ]] that the script was being written by Dustin Lee Abraham, who wrote the first one, but it all would depend on Universal if the film would happen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/method-man-gives-update-on-status-of-how-high-2-news.5299.html|title=Method Man Gives Update On Status Of|first=Rose|last=Lilah|work=HotNewHipHop|date=17 April 2013|access-date=15 October 2014}}</ref> In November 2015, Redman stated ''How High 2'' would be released in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vibe.com/2015/11/redman-reveals-how-high-2-2017/|title=Redman Reveals 'How High 2' Might Soar Into Theaters In 2017|work=Vibe|access-date=9 April 2015}}</ref>
 
In 2017, there was a written script, confirmed by Matt "M-80" Markoff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.42371/title.method-man-redmans-how-high-2-still-in-the-works# |title=Method Man & Redman's "How High 2" Still In The Works |publisher=hiphopdx.com |date=15 February 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017}}</ref> Redman stated that the script was being rewritten, and he expected production to begin late 2017, early 2018; he also stated he and Method Man could move on to something other than the sequel. The two men confirmed they would not reprise their roles in the sequel because "the business wasn't right".<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/BovDn52HOCS/ {{Dead link|date=April 2022}}{{Better source needed|date=February 2022 }}</ref>
 
The sequel was greenlit by [[MTV]] and Universal 1440 Entertainment in June 2018. The film takes place in [[Atlanta]] and production began September 25, 2018, starring [[Lil' Yachty]] and [[D.C. Young Fly]]. MTV announced ''How High 2'' would premiere on [[420 (cannabis culture)|April 20]], 2019, with Mike Epps reprising his role as Baby Powder.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |last2=Andreeva |first2=Nellie |title='How High 2': Mike Epps To Reprise Baby Powder Role In MTV Sequel; Premiere Date Set |url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/how-high-2-mike-epps-reprise-baby-powder-role-mtv-sequel-premiere-date-set-1202571048/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 7, 2019 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.howhighmovie.com}}
* {{IMDb title|0278488|How High}}
* {{TCMDb title|451884|How High}}
* {{Letterboxd film|how-high}}

{{Jesse Dylan}}
{{Danny DeVito}}

[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:2000s buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:American teen comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:American films about cannabis]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jesse Dylan]]
[[Category:Films produced by Danny DeVito]]
[[Category:Films produced by Michael Shamberg]]
[[Category:Films produced by Stacey Sher]]
[[Category:Films set in Harvard University]]
[[Category:Films set in universities and colleges]]
[[Category:Films set in 2002]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:African-American comedy films]]
[[Category:Stoner films]]
[[Category:2001 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:2001 comedy films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Benjamin Franklin]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John Quincy Adams]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]]