Amy (Rebecca DeMarco) is a pothead loser who doesn’t have a job and lounges around all day wasting her and everyone else’s time. She isn’t motivated, she doesn’t really care too much about others’ feelings, and she’s started dating so that she can get free meals and drinks. Marijuana Minutes is Amy’s story after she finds a vape pen that makes time travel possible. While this pen has now gotten her in a jam, it may just be the answer to all of her problems.
I didn’t read the synopsis for this film before watching, but the second the film began I expected something ridiculous. It’s easy to understand by way of the tone at the start of the film that Marijuana Minutes is going to be an absurd comedy–but the level of intellect in this comedy is far superior to what I had anticipated after meeting Amy for the first time.
Amy is pretty useless in the grand scheme of life. She mooches off of her friends, the only thing she cares about is getting things for free and smoking weed, and she’s ultimately an inconvenience to just about everyone she comes in contact with–whether she knows it or not. Marijuana Minutes makes sure to showcase this throughout its duration–and there’s never a question of whether or not Amy is likable (because she isn’t). That’s an interesting approach for Writer-Director Ryan D. Moore to take, quickly ostracizing his main character and making her difficult to like–but it works. She’s used as a vehicle to tell a series of stories relevant to the real world, and this is where the character thrives.
Marijuana Minutes, like it or not, is a social and political commentary that transcends race, class, political beliefs, etc. It puts the world on blast and lets viewers know that it’s not here to pull any punches or worry about viewers’ feelings–it wants to encourage change, and it’s willing to do whatever it takes in order to make that happen. Again, Amy is the vehicle by which all of these things come to life, moving us from person to person who represent different social and political themes and ideas (and sometimes expressing the messages on her own). Night of the Living Dead is still regarded as one of the greatest social-political horrors of all time, and including a series of references (and footage) from this film strengthens the ability of Marijuana Minutes to reach viewers in this regard. Due to the nature of this film, it may be difficult for viewers to bridge the gap between themselves and the content–but with Night of the Living Dead backing it in many ways, the messages present in the film become far more accessible.
Every second of Marijuana Minutes is over acted. Every single person plays their role in an exaggerated fashion (intentionally)–and I won’t lie, there are moments when this is frustrating. However, regardless of my personal opinion regarding this aspect of the film, there’s no way to ignore the fact that it helps to bring attention to the absurdities of the real world. The exaggerated nature of the acting is a reflection of the things that Moore and his team are attempting to shed light on, and it’s effective in the grand scheme of the film.
The very premise that a vape pen can allow its owner the ability to time travel is ridiculous. Amy, the frustrating pothead, is ridiculous. Yet, Marijuana Minutes extends itself past the ridiculousness and allows viewers the opportunity to understand politics and society in a way that maybe they haven’t before. Again, the film is silly, and there is some intense licking to be done in order to get to the center of this politically flavored Tootsie Pop–but it’s there for the taking.
Check out the film on VUDU by clicking here: https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/title/2469164
Written & Directed by Ryan D. Moore.
Starring Rebecca DeMarco, Sophia Parola, Jared Cardenas, Evan Dickerson, Steve Melone, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
