Can a ghost-powered marijuana plant help two underachieving stoners graduate from Harvard University?
In short: In the 2001 cult comedy How High, Method Man and Redman play two friends who use the ashes of a deceased companion to fertilize a magical marijuana plant. The resulting smoke summons a ghost who provides the answers to their exams, leading them on a chaotic journey through the Ivy League.
Directed by Jesse Dylan in his feature debut, How High follows Silas and Jamal, two stoners who accidentally discover that smoking a strain of marijuana grown from their friend Ivory’s ashes allows them to see his ghost. With Ivory providing answers during their entrance exams, the duo secures admission to Harvard. The film centers on their attempts to maintain a 2.0 GPA while navigating campus life, clashing with the snobbish rowing captain Bart and the strict Dean Carl Cain.
The narrative takes a turn when a campus officer named Gerald steals and smokes their supply, cutting off their supernatural academic advantage. Desperate to avoid expulsion, Silas attempts to synthesize a truth serum in his botany class, while Jamal briefly considers exhuming John Quincy Adams for a similar ghostly boost. Despite critical panning—Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 25% approval rating, with reviewers calling it sloppily constructed—the film developed a dedicated cult following and even earned a Stony Award for Best Stoner Movie in 2002.
The legacy of the film is marked by a long, turbulent path to a sequel. While fans clamored for a follow-up for years, production was stalled by disputes with Universal Pictures over rights and funding. Method Man and Redman eventually distanced themselves from the project, citing business disagreements. A television sequel, How High 2, was finally released in 2019, featuring a new cast and setting in Atlanta, though it lacked the original stars who defined the 2001 cult classic.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: How High
- Also: Wikidata — How High · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — How High · CC0
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