Parents' Guide to Half Baked: Totally High

Movie R 2024 97 minutes
Half Baked: Totally High movie poster: Under title white man holds money left, two friends stand back to back laughing center

Common Sense Media Review

JK Sooja By JK Sooja , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Silly stoner update has lots of drugs, language, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

In HALF BAKED: TOTALLY HIGH, a bunch of stoner friends suffer a tragedy and must figure out a way to make lots of money and fast. Good thing one of them suddenly "finds" pounds of magical weed to sell! The only problem are the drug dealers, who aren't too happy with their sudden entry into the market.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

As a sequel in spirit to the original Half Baked, this film is equally illogical, goofy, and implausible. But of course, Half Baked: Totally High is likely not trying very hard to be a "good" movie. It's more likely trying to simply be a fun stoner adventure, which in some ways, it is. The main characters are lovable and charming enough, if thinly drawn, and it's easy to root for them. A few cameos and an all-in turn by Frankie Muniz liven proceedings up a bit, but even these have limited value here.

Unfortunately, the writing isn't all that funny. Unlike the first film, this updated version can't rely on the charisma of Dave Chappelle or Jon Stewart to keep the jokes afloat. In Half Baked: Totally High, the actors admirably perform what's on the page, but too much of the humor relies on crass shock or "Ew!" moments, like when one of the stoner's mothers talks openly about her sexual practices or when someone ends up playing around with a dead man's genitals. Some teenagers might get a kick out of some of what's here, but for everyone else, there's simply too many incredulous plot devices to buy into any part of the story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about humor in comedies. What are the funniest parts of Half Baked: Totally High? Did you find any of the humor insensitive or offensive?

  • What were the most illogical parts of the movie? In the real world, what do you think would happen?

  • Compared to Half Baked, the movie that inspired this "sequel," which do you think is better and why?

Movie Details

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Half Baked: Totally High movie poster: Under title white man holds money left, two friends stand back to back laughing center

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