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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

How High
Universal Pictures


8.7

based on 21 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 50 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

Kicking & Screaming

MPAA RATING: R for pervasive drug use and language, and for sexual dialogue.

Starring Method Man, Redman, Lark Voorhies, Trieu Tran, Justin Urich, Al Shearer, Essence Atkins, and Obba Babatundé

Rap stars Redman and Method Man star as Jamal and Silas, two regular guys who smoke something magical, ace their college entrance exams and wind up at Harvard. (Universal Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Comedy
WRITTEN BY:	Dustin Abraham
DIRECTED BY:	Jesse Dylan
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 21, 2002 Video: May 21, 2002 Theatrical: December 21, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	96 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

USA Today Mike Clark

Enough low-grade laughs to entertain significantly more than some of the more prestigious year-end releases.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

There's a spirit of generosity to How High that allows many performers to shine beyond its sharp and amiable stars.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Enough cheery mockery to amuse even non-tokers.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

Like Ice Cube's "Friday," How High probably will survive as an underground classic, until it's pushed further underground and forgotten by the next disposable "cult classic" to hit video.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Dylan's stoner comedy barely manages to string together a story, but lucky for him, his two stars radiate charisma even when they're hidden behind clouds of smoke.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The Observer won't let me get stoned before a review, so I'll never know what How High would be like after a big fat blunt. Without one, it's sloppy, broadly funny in spots and chaotic.

Variety Joe Leydon

A genially haphazard but frequently amusing neo-stoner comedy that plays like "Cheech and Chong Go to Animal House."

TV Guide Steve Simels

It's a good thing the two rappers are such utterly natural actors, armed with terrific comic timing.

LA Weekly Mark Olsen

There is something fun about a movie that so brazenly portrays excessive pot smoking.

Miami Herald Charles Savage

How High is not a particularly good movie, but then again it's not trying to be. It's a project by two B-list rappers seeking to extend their music careers in the way of stars like Will Smith, Ice Cube and Tupac Shakur.

Boston Globe Joan Anderman

The biggest problem, ironically, is that even though the plot and the action center on smoking pot, it's not enough of a stoner flick. The concept of getting stoned isn't amusing; watching stoned people is.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Method Man and Redman just don't have the comic timing to pull off 90 minutes at front-and-center.

Village Voice Jessica Winter

Too lazy to be a comedy, too conventional to be a head movie.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Many of the faces that emerge through the murk appear bug-eyed. And much of the dialogue, which is frequently shouted, is only semi-intelligible.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Doesn't look like a movie somebody made. It looks like a movie somebody hallucinated and put up on the screen.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

This mess was directed with no skill whatsoever by Jesse Dylan, whose father, Bob, once urged us all to get stoned.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ellen Kim

Unfortunately, this low-lowbrow comedy, which tries to pass itself off as a "Friday" crossed with "Legally Blonde," also does nothing to distinguish itself from recent urban flops "The Wash" and "Pootie Tang."

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

The drug-fueled romp turns ugly, sexist and misogynistic, as so many rap-star vehicles do.

Film Threat Heather Wadowski

While How High could have been a fun comedy college students could watch over and over again, it instead plays like a bad USA movie of the week. The jokes aren't funny, the characters aren't fully developed and poor editing only makes a humorless story confusing.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Meets the required minimum dosage of feature-film attributes, and then nods out when it comes to going any further.

New Times (L.A.) Robert Wilonsky

Just when it looked like "Not Another Teen Movie" might claim the crap crown comes this stoner's tale.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 50 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Layne gave it a0:
Pure, unmitigated crap. If you actually find any of this funny then you are so simple minded you may well be retarded. You'd have to be on crack, never mind weed, to even force a smile at any part of this painfully unfunny disaster of a comedy movie. It starts off bad, and actually somehow manages to get worse as it goes on. Method Man and Redman should stick to what they do best - whatever that is.

Rex G. gave it a4:
Being Wu-Tang listener myself I appreciate their music a lot - that does not have to mean that I also dig their performance in front of the camera - 'cause acting and making hip-hop music are two different professions. In my opinion the movie does indeed have its funny scenes, but the longer the movie runs the more boring it becomes. Sure when you're stoned the movie is great but once you watch it, when you stopped smoking weed, you notice that much of the jokes are just childish. Smoking weed is no culture... It's an addiction - no more no less. We should not forget that when watching that movie. 4 points for the funny scenes.

Andreas T. gave it a10:
This is one of the most hilarious movies ever! I have seen it over 50 times and it still give me laugh.

Jazzyjeff1er gave it a9:
Pimpin scince been pimpin scince been pimpin!!!

Debbie M. gave it a10:
How High is one of the best movies EVER! I refresh myself with the movie every couple of days havin a blunt. GHETTO.

Trish V. gave it a10:
Who can't like that?! One of the best movies ever.

El Loco gave it a9:
Screw all those critics with their heads up their asses... Judging things they know nothing about. I've seen this movie about ten times and it still makes me laugh. If you like the hiphop culture, see it with some friends, have a few beers and a smoke and enjoy it.

How High Universal Pictures

How High
Universal Pictures