Get Out of My Room (1985)

A mockumentary on Cheech & Chong's first "video album" is basically a series of loosely connected vignettes, sketches and some fun music videos (the most well-known of these being "Born in East L.A."). It's funny on occasion but definitely not representative of the duo's best work. The best parts are when they're riffing in the moment and catch each other off guard in a laugh. You get a great sense of their relationship and on-screen chemistry. Sadly, this was the last time they appeared on camera together for many years.

2½ eyeball creatures out of 5

Things Are Tough All Over (1982)

Cheech & Chong struggle to hold a series of odd jobs during a particularly harsh winter, until they are hired by a couple of wealthy Arabs (also played by the duo) to make a run down to Las Vegas, which inevitably leaves them lost and stranded, wandering through the deserts of Nevada. This feels like a much more traditionally plotted comedy and doesn't rely as heavily on drug humor (though it still remains prevalent). This is not the best of the C&C films, but it's one of the most consistently funny ones, although it lacks a proper resolution.

3 freak-outs out of 5

Nice Dreams (1981)

AKA: Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams

Cheech & Chong now own their own ice cream vendor business, as a front for selling marijuana. This flimsy plot acts as an excuse to tie together scenes involving doing lines at a restaurant, getting locked away in a sanatorium, and a really fun sequence involving a threesome at a hotel, which remains the most memorable part of this movie. Besides the raunchy humor, there is an old fashioned appeal to this duo that dates all the way back to the tradition of Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello. There's no denying these movies are really dumb, but there's an irresistible charm that makes it difficult to dismiss.

Also features brilliant lines such as this:

"Will you forget about titties? We've got a bust to think about!"

2½ helicopters circling a nude beach out of 5

Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980)

The continuing adventures of Cheech & Chong (now going under their own pseudonym) as they get into trouble and meet strange characters across L.A. As a comedy feature, it's wildly uneven, but you have to admire its audacity for going weird places and risking losing the plot. Notable for featuring some early roles from Michael Winslow and Paul Reubens (as Pee-wee Herman).

2½ literal roaches out of 5

Note: There is a long lost television edit of this film which features a new storyline and so much alternate footage that it's almost an entirely different movie. It removes all references to drugs and now refers to "diamonds" in an effort to make it "family" friendly. It also somehow manages to make less sense than the theatrical cut, so it gets half a roach less.