Things Are Tough All Over
Widely considered by diehard fans to be the âworstâ of the classic Cheech And Chong comedies, this marked an interesting clash in philosophies between the duo, as Cheech wanted to prove that they could be funny without the excessive drug humor, whilst Chong felt that they should stick with what brought them to the dance in the first place. This results in Cheechâs stock character being pretty much âstraightâ throughout the film, while Chong spends most of his time jonesing before going on a major peyote trip in the second half. The plot is meant to be a reflection of the economic recession of the early 80s (and still relevant today) with the two of them working minimum wage jobs at a car wash (and quickly getting fired) before briefly starting a band and finally landing a gig driving a limo with five million dollars stashed under the seat (unbeknownst to them) all the way out to Vegas. As far as the humor goes, itâs still pretty good, with the scene in the Laundromat (âSome pervert tried to rape a little girl!â) and the bit with âThe Champâ (some homeless guy who climbs in the limo and drinks all the booze) being vintage classic stuff from the duo. The film loses quite a bit of momentum in the second half, as they draw closer to Vegas and Chong embarks on his peyote trip, but the overall talent and charisma of the stars carries the film along well, even if the pacing and ratio of laughs is not the same as their undisputed classics. The film does take an hilarious turn in political incorrectness with the introduction of two Arab brothers (also played by C&C) whom the two are working for, who wind up being outrageously funny yet offensive stereotypes (âIn America, you cannot kill someone just because you get angry at them! You have to ask permission first! That is democracy!â). Other performances include the starsâ real-life wives Shelby and Rikki as two beautiful French girls (who belong to the Arabs) who donât understand English with the major hots for our heroes; Series regular Evelyn Guerrero reappearing as Cheechâs old girlfriend Donna, now off drugs and smuggling illegal immigrants across the border; Lance Kinsey (Proctor from Police Academy) as a plastic surgeon; Rip Taylor (as himself) picking up our heroes from the side of the road, telling bad jokes, and inexplicably dressing them up in womenâs clothes; and even Full House star Dave Coulier in a weird cameo as a gay man in a restaurant. The finale, with the Arabs chasing C&C across the Vegas strip into a porno theater, is funny in a bizarre, sick way, but yet something seems to be missing from the film as a whole (drugs?). Overall, a lesser effort from the greatest movie comedy team ever, but still light years better for todayâs generation weaned on Will Ferrell and Seth RoganâŚ
7/10