The Citizen Kane of stoner films. And much like Kane, it will open a lot of eyes, yet it barely scratches the surface and hasn't been seen by the vast majority of people some 5+ years after it's release. It tells the story of the 20th century war on weed like no other film ever could. The only thing I hate about this film is the first line... "Although people around the world have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years, the custom only reached the United States at the beginning of the 20th Century..." This is the same lie that drug warriors have been pushing down people's throats for decades and it is sad that such a great film started on such a false note. "Rosebud" was a much better opening line. But beyond that, this film is quite real. It would be a masterpiece if Ron Mann would pull a George Lucas and make a prequel called 'Hemp' and re-edit this original classic even if only to cull that ridiculous opening line. I know Woody Harrelson knows better, so I will move on. I called this the Citizen Kane of stoner films for a reason. But Grass doesn't even mention W.R. Hearst so I will leave that to Ron Mann, Harrelson and my proposed prequel 'Hemp', which still needs to be made. I understand that Grass was only an 80-minute film and those 80 minutes were used very well so lets move on. The most disturbing moment in this film occurs when JFK acknowledges Anslinger's service and shakes his hand. Okay Woody, maybe your dad was right to put a bullet in his brain... I'm kidding of course, but people in the know will get my joke. My favorite moment... well, there were too many. The Vietnam shotgun scene is an eye-popping gem that is impossible to overlook but since the JFK scene was my most disturbing moment, my favorite was when Jimmy Carter said "I support a change in law to end federal criminal penalties for up to one ounce of marijuana, leaving the states free to adopt whatever laws they wish concerning marijuana." If only Carter had half the pollen sack JFK had, this film wouldn't have been necessary... Actually, I think Reagan and the egg is the best scene in this film. Grass is amazing. It presents so much shocking footage
yet many stones left unturned. I understand that Ron Mann had to take some precautions to get it released much like Orson Welles did. But I demand a prequel
and a sequel. This could be the greatest saga in the history of motion pictures! Please keep it going. It is the first part of a story that needs to be told.
Review of Grass
