Reefer Madness (2005 film)

Plot

An ominous Lecturer warns an assembly of 1930s American parents about the evils of marijuana on their youth ("Reefer Madness") through the tragic tale of one boy's struggles with the demon weed in a film titled "Tell Your Children". Throughout the film, the Lecturer stops the film to detail a political point or to condescend any audience member questioning his credibility.

Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, a joyful teen couple, blissfully enjoy each other's company ("Romeo & Juliet"), unaware of the seedy goings-on in The Reefer Den, the residence of Mae, who is abused by her boyfriend, Jack, a street tough who supplies her and others with dope ("The Stuff"). Mary and Jimmy and others head to the local hangout, Miss Poppy's Five and Dime, where they dance to swing music, which the Lecturer comments as sinful ("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime"). Jack appears at the hangout, offering Jimmy swing lessons to impress Mary.

Jimmy is taken to the Reefer Den, where Jack, Mae, college dropout Ralph, and the neighborhood slut Sally, pressure him into smoking his first joint, leading him to a carnal carnival ("Jimmy Takes a Hit/ The Orgy"). Jimmy turns into a crazed addict and neglects Mary, leading her to pray for him ("Lonely Pew"). Jimmy has a vision of Jesus Christ in a Vegas-esque Heaven, telling him to change his ways or be sent to eternal damnation ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy")

One night, Jimmy and Sally take a joy ride while buzzed, and run over an old man. Jimmy runs to Mary, debating whether to continue being under the influence or repent his ways ("Mary Jane/ Mary Lane"). Jimmy returns to Mary romantically, but he realizes that he is putting her in danger and tells her that he must leave town without her. Jack brings him back to the Reefer Den with a pot-brownie, putting him in a cartoonized trip ("The Brownie Song"). Mary follows Jimmy to the Den where Ralph seduces her by convincing her that Jimmy has joined his fraternity, "Phi-Beta-Cannabis". He suggests that they celebrate with a smoke, which turns out to be a toke. This intro to reefer turns Mary into a sadistic dominatrix who terrorizes Ralph for pleasure ("Little Mary Sunshine). Jimmy enters and a fight ensues. Jack stops the fight, knocks out Jimmy, shoots Mary, and frames Jimmy. Jimmy gives Mary his class ring, which he had attempted to give to her earlier ("Mary's Death").

Jimmy is taken away by police. Racked with guilt, Ralph has pot-induced hallucinations of the children who got hooked on the Reefer Gang's dope as the living dead. Ralph gets an extreme case of the munchies and cannibalizes Sally. Jack shoots Ralph to stop him ("Murder!"). Seeing similar visions, Mae realizes the error of her ways and tells Jack to do the same. He rejects her pleas and she bludgeons him to death with a garden hoe, gaining her much-needed empowerment ("The Stuff (Reprise)").

Mae pleads to the visiting President Franklin D. Roosevelt about Jimmy's case, and Jimmy wins a presidential pardon. Jimmy, Mae, the President, and Jimmy's fellow prisoners, along with Ralph, Jack, and Sally, are reincarnated as Uncle Sam, George Washington, and Lady Liberty respectively, praising the American justice system and patriotism ("Tell 'Em the Truth"). Jimmy cuts down the Reefer Den's weed garden, freeing Mary from Hell and Satan before everyone's eyes. The Lecturer's film ends with Mary entering Heaven, greeted by Jesus and other Holy souls.

The entire audience joins the suddenly real film cast to hold a huge anti-reefer book burning pledging to join the fight against marijuana, sex, racial and ethnic minorities, and other things harmful to their dear country ("Finale"). The Lecturer drives off, pleased that he has succeeded in exploiting everyone's patriotism.

Musical numbers

Production

In 1998, writing partners Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, who had met while studying at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, were driving from Oakland to Los Angeles and listening to Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage, when they began discussing how one might stage the piece. "So I started picturing it in my head," Studney recalls. "Frank Zappa's concept of a musical and then it just hit me. I turned to Kevin and said 'What about doing Reefer Madness as a musical?'" By the time duo reached L.A., they had already written the first song.

The high school is named after Harry J. Anslinger, the first Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics, known as the Father of the Drug War.

Release

Reefer Madness premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. It also screened in competition at the 2005 Deauville Film Festival and won the Premiere Audience Award. On April 20, four days following the film's television premiere, Showtime aired the musical back-to-back with the 1936 exploitation film that inspired it.

Home media

Showtime released the DVD on November 9, 2005. The DVD includes the original film and an audio commentary by director Fickman with several cast members.

Accolades

The film won the 2005 Emmy Award for Music and Lyrics (for "Mary Jane/Mary Lane", which was written specially for the film). It also received Emmy nominations for Choreography and Make-Up Effects.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD was first released by Showtime in their "stash box" press package. Mixed from the 5.1 audio masters, this version has several anomalies including a few sound effects.

On October 28, 2008, Ghostlight Records released a double CD of the soundtrack from the film and original Los Angeles cast recording. The night before, The Public Theater's Joe's Pub hosted a release party concert featuring a four-person ensemble and leads Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Christian Campbell, John Kassir, Robert Torti, Amy Spanger, and Jenna Leigh Green doing an abbreviated concert version with introductions to each song by Kevin Murphy.

The two versions of the soundtrack differ in quite a few places, both from each other and from the film, but it is most noticeable during the song Murder. The Showtime CD features a longer version of the song, sans all spoken dialogue. The Ghostlight CD features a truncated version of the track littered with dialogue from the film.