Review: Grass (1999)
Frankie Paiva
rated R
80 minutes
Unapix Films
a documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson
written by Solomon Vesta
directed by Ron Mann
A Review by Frankie Paiva
This one-sided documentary is about marijuana's introduction and use in the
United States in the 1990s. Brought over the border by Mexicans in the early
part of the century, it was a joy for many. You could smoke it and escape
your life, troubles, and problems. The stuff soon became so common you could
find it on the side of the road. The government used marijuana as an excuse
not to like Mexico. The Bureau of Narcotics formed shortly after some
marijuana users turned violent. The head of the bureau launched several
campaigns hoping to make marijuana as frowned upon as possible. More laws,
restrictions, and programs popped up as time went on. Parents and worried
officials wanted this stuff controlled. Several people thought it unfair that
the government was creating laws that put innocent civilians who were just
trying to relax in jail. Why should something enjoyable for most be illegal
in the eyes of the law? The previous inquiry morphs into different forms as
time and the film go on.
If I lived in the world that Grass presents, I would be an advocate to
legalize marijuana too. This is certainly a bias documentary. The movie
covers about eighty years of the drug, but skips over the 1980s and 1990s in
approximately five minutes. It seems Grass covers only the periods where
people lived in ignorance about the downsides from using the drug. There was
always plenty of speculation from non-users about what would happen if a
person took marijuana in the early days. A few of their fears were dispelled
(or confirmed) after the first solid scientific research study on marijuana
in the 1970s. Some of the best moments of the film are the official truths of
the time. The truth, as issued by the government and accepted by non-users,
flashes before each decade. Through the years, the government stopped saying
marijuana would lead you to kill people, and started linking it as a
stepping-stone to heroin abuse.
If anything, Grass is certainly a lot of fun. Clips from movies like Reefer
Madness really heighten the experience. Cheech & Chong show up, as does Cab
Calloway and Sonny Bono. Even Elvis Presley’s public service announcement
discouraging drug use is included. There are some fantastic graphics and
computer animated sequences that really help the movie. Whenever a law passes
that is against marijuana, a disaster diagram (erupting volcanoes, spinning
tornadoes, etc.) comes onscreen along with the name of the bill and the word,
"PASSED." These types of pictures are always colorful and humorous. They
capture the screw the government attitude adapted by most of the film.
Grass is essentially a piece of harmless propaganda. Hidden messages about
legalizing marijuana lie under its surface. Most adults will not be
susceptible to these, but it may influence some teens. It figures that Woody
Harrelson narrates this film when one considers his work in attempting to
legalize the Indian weed. Hypocrisy is present on both sides of the argument.
One government official goes on about how bad drug addiction is while he
continuously smokes a cigarette. Director Ron Mann never chooses to look at
the devastating effects of the narcotic. Even so, the material presented is
very interesting, and was certainly something I would not have pursued
otherwise, and like some of the best documentaries, there are plenty of
opportunities to laugh.
Unless you can personally relate to Grass's subject, it is likely to have
little impact. This picture certainly does not break any new ground, and
rarely rises above the amusing level. If it were more thought provoking than
rebellious, it would be much better. This easily forgettable movie entertains
while its playing, but never reaches a high. It leaves little to take with
you or remember.
B-
Frankie Paiva
Swp...@aol.com
http://www.homestead.com/cinemaparadise/mainpage.html