Cheech and Chong are reuniting for one last film

Cheech and Chong are returning to the big screen for a new documentary, Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie.

The beloved comedy duo, made up of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, have been highly successful with their stand-up shows, studio recordings and feature films since the 1970s, often revolving around their celebration of weed culture.

The new film, which is likely to be their final major project together, premiered this week (March 12) at South By Southwest, helmed by director David Bushell, who has previously produced films including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Dallas Buyers Club.

Bushell had been talking with Chong’s daughter Robbi Chong about the possibility of convincing the duo to star in one last narrative film together for over 20 years, in the vain of their debut movie Up In Smoke (1978).

The project proved problematic, in part due to Chong serving a year in prison in 2003-4 after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to distribute drug paraphernalia.

Eventually, Bushell was successful in convincing them to agree to a career retrospective documentary, which was presented at SXSW without a distributor.

“So much of our career has been, we just did what we were told to do,” said Chong, 85, at the premiere (via Rolling Stone). “‘Oh, you want to do a documentary on us? Ok, when do you need me to show up?’ It’s an extension of what we’ve been doing for years. The plan has always been that there’s no real plan.”

The film comes out of extensive interviews with the duo, alongside archival clips of their on-stage performances and films, as well as previous interviews and animated anecdotes.

Bushell also filmed them driving through the Joshua Tree desert in California, unscripted. “If you want to see a new Cheech & Chong movie, you want to see them sitting next to each other in a car, joking with each other,” Bushell says. “That’s the classic bit.”

Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie is now seeking distribution

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