Kid Cannabis

Last updated

Kid Cannabis
KidCannabis.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by John Stockwell
Screenplay byJohn Stockwell
Produced by Gordon Bijelonic
Corey Large
Michael Becker [1] [2]
Starring Jonathan Daniel Brown
Kenny Wormald
Aaron Yoo
Ron Perlman
John C. McGinley [2]
CinematographyPeter Holland
Edited byJon Berry
James Renfroe
Music byIrv Johnson
Production
companies
CRUSH FILMS
Wingman Productions
Imprint Entertainment
ARM Entertainment
Distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment
Release date
  • March 16, 2014 (2014-03-16)(Miami International Film Festival)
Running time
109 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$5,565 (One Theater) [3]

Kid Cannabis is a 2014 American biographical comedy-drama film. It is based on the true story of a teen named Nate Norman who dropped out of high school to build a multimillion-dollar marijuana ring by trafficking drugs with his friends through the woods across the US-Canada international border. The film was executive produced by Alan Pao, Datari Turner, Alison Lee, Rosanne Gooding-Silverwood, Mark Silverwood, Bic Tran, Mia Chang, Cain McKnight, and Steve Ware. [4]

Contents

Plot

The plot is based on a true story and follows Nate Norman, an eighteen-year-old high school dropout, who lives with his younger brother and single mom in northern Idaho. One day while delivering pizza he encounters a wealthy customer who tells him about the money to be made through drug trafficking marijuana from Canada. Nate later reads about the potency of Canadian weed in High Times Magazine and decides to recruit his friend Topher to help him with his grand plan. On their initial run, they cross the border to search for a supplier which leads them to a man who sells them $1,800 worth of marijuana. However, they quickly discovered later that the marijuana they purchased was of lower quality than they intended to purchase. Despite the low quality, the product proves successful and sells immediately, resulting in another run across the border. During their subsequent trip, they meet Nicole (Merritt Patterson) who sells them 300 pounds of her dad's premium quality marijuana, which would become their supply. After the success of this run and now that a high-quantity supplier has been secured, Nate secures a financier and establishes his credibility. He then recruits and trains additional friends, promising to pay them $3500 each a run. Following daily runs, they revel in their successes, indulging in lavish purchases and throwing major parties. At a party, Nate has an encounter with a rival drug trafficker, Brendan Butler, who worries he's losing business to Nate and his team. The two get into a gunfight and Brendan flees. Fearing for his business, Brendan hires two hitmen to rob and kill Nate and Topher. After a close call with the two hitmen, Nate understands the threat to his life and hires the hitmen out from under Brendan, unbeknownst to his team. The hitmen later murder Brendan and dump his body in the woods. Topher begins working in secret with others he personally recruited on drug runs, attempting to hide this from Nate. One of these runs leads to a shady participant trying to steal some marijuana for himself by hiding it in the woods to be picked up by himself later. When he goes to retrieve there product sometime later, he is pulled over by police and convinced to be a mole. During the next run with the team, the police are already waiting to arrest everyone because of their inside source. As police arrest and interrogate the crew, everyone turns in Nate as being the ringleader of the operation. The night before he's due to be arrested, Nate’s financier alerts him of the news and encourages him to flee. Nate immediately flees to Canada but later returns after his mother is threatened with money laundering charges. At the end of the film, their whereabouts and status at the point of release are detailed.

Cast

Production

Producer Gordon Bijelonic, actor Kenny Wormald and director John Stockwell at the 2014 Miami International Film Festival presentation of Kid Cannabis KID CANNABIS actors Gordon Bijelonic and Kenny Wormald with director John Stockwell.jpg
Producer Gordon Bijelonic, actor Kenny Wormald and director John Stockwell at the 2014 Miami International Film Festival presentation of Kid Cannabis

The film was inspired by an article on the real Nate Norman written by Mark Binelli for Rolling Stone magazine, which was published in 2005. [5] The story is based on the life of Nate Norman, an overweight high-school dropout and pizza delivery man in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, who built a multimillion-dollar business smuggling marijuana from Canada before eventually getting caught and sentenced to prison for 12 years. He was released early and is currently living in Coeur d’Alene. [2] [6]

Some scenes were shot in a marijuana-growing facility in Canada, to which the crew was driven in a van with blacked-out windows. [6]

Music video

On October 5, 2014 rapper Andrew Canton released a music video of the movie on his YouTube page. [7]

Reception

The film holds a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews. [8] It also has a rating of 54 on Metacritic based on six reviews, indicating "average or mixed reviews." [9] The Los Angeles Times noted that despite the portrayal, protagonist Nate is not treated sympathetically by the creators of the film. They also noted that Ron Perlman's performance was excellent. [10] Slant Magazine praised director Stockwell for capturing the "half-baked hubris that often accompanies adolescence." [11] The New York Times thought that the younger cast and Ron Perlman had a good performance, but didn't like the voice-over due to it feeling "forced and unfunny". [12] The Hollywood Reporter enjoyed the performances, but didn't think it handled the genre shift very well. [13]

Box Office Mojo lists total domestic theater sales, in one theater as $5,565. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheech & Chong</span> Comedy duo

Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo founded in Vancouver and consisting of American Cheech Marin and Canadian Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially the drug and counterculture movements, most notably their love for cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald Triangle</span> Cannabis-growing region of northern California, USA

The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California, named as such due to it being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration:

<i>Half Baked</i> 1998 American stoner comedy film

Half Baked is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. Half Baked received negative reviews but has since become a cult film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Emery</span> Canadian politician (born 1958)

Marc Scott Emery is a Canadian cannabis rights activist, entrepreneur and politician. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international cannabis policy reform, and has been active in multiple Canadian political parties at the provincial and federal levels. Emery has been jailed several times for his cannabis activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis (drug)</span> Psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant

Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.

<i>Grass</i> (1999 film) 1999 Canadian film

Grass: History of Marijuana is a 1999 Canadian documentary film directed by Ron Mann, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, about the history of the United States government's war on marijuana in the 20th century. The film was narrated by actor Woody Harrelson.

<i>Pineapple Express</i> (film) 2008 American film

Pineapple Express is a 2008 American buddy stoner action comedy film directed by David Gordon Green, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen and James Franco. The plot centers on a process server and his marijuana dealer as they are forced to flee from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after witnessing them commit a murder. Producer Judd Apatow, who previously worked with Rogen and Goldberg on Knocked Up and Superbad, assisted in developing the story.

<i>Super High Me</i> 2007 American film

Super High Me is a 2007 documentary film about the effects of smoking cannabis for 30 days. Directed by Michael Blieden, the documentary stars comedian Doug Benson. The documentary's name and its poster are plays on the 2004 documentary Super Size Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Emery</span> Canadian cannabis rights activist and politician

Jodie Emery is a Canadian cannabis rights activist and politician. She is the spouse of fellow activist Marc Emery. Until the business was shut down by police, the couple were co-owners of Cannabis Culture, a business that franchised pot dispensaries, later deemed to be illegal. They had obtained the cannabis from illegal sources, according to Crown prosecutors. They are the former operators and owners of Cannabis Culture magazine and Pot TV.

<i>Warrior</i> (2011 film) American sports action film by Gavin OConnor

Warrior is a 2011 American sports action film directed by Gavin O'Connor. It stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers whose entrance into a mixed martial arts tournament makes them come to terms with their lives and each other. Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, and Bryan Callen appear in supporting roles. Real-life MMA and combat sports figures like Kurt Angle, Nate Marquardt, Anthony Johnson, Roan Carneiro, Yves Edwards, Amir Perets, and Dan Caldwell make appearances.

<i>Were the Millers</i> 2013 film by Rawson Marshall Thurber

We're the Millers is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Rawson M. Thurber and starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, and Ed Helms. The film's screenplay was written by Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, and John Morris, based on a story by Fisher and Faber. The plot follows a small-time pot dealer (Sudeikis) who convinces his neighbors to help him by pretending to be his family in order to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the United States.

<i>Blended</i> (film) 2014 American film

Blended is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Written by Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera, the film stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore as two single parents who went on a blind date together and never wanted to see each other again afterwards. To their surprise, they both end up at the same African safari resort with their children and are forced to stay together. The film's ensemble cast also features Bella Thorne, Emma Fuhrmann, Terry Crews, Joel McHale, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kevin Nealon, and Shaquille O'Neal. South African cricketer Dale Steyn makes a cameo appearance as himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte's Web (cannabis)</span> Strain of medical marijuana

Charlotte's Web is a brand of high-cannabidiol (CBD), low-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products derived from industrial hemp and marketed as dietary supplements and cosmetics under federal law of the United States. It is produced by Charlotte's Web, Inc. in Colorado. Hemp-derived products do not induce the psychoactive "high" typically associated with recreational marijuana strains that are high in THC. Charlotte's Web hemp-derived products contain less than 0.3% THC.

<i>Beyond the Lights</i> 2014 film

Beyond the Lights is a 2014 American romantic drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Machine Gun Kelly, and Danny Glover. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 14, 2014. In 2015, the song "Grateful" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<i>The Calling</i> (2014 film) 2014 Canadian crime thriller film

The Calling is a 2014 Canadian crime thriller film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Michael Redhill. The film stars Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace, Donald Sutherland, and Christopher Heyerdahl.

<i>Poker Night</i> (film) 2014 film

Poker Night, released in the UK as The Joker, is a 2014 crime thriller film that was written and directed by Greg Francis. Released to video on demand on 5 December 2014, it had a limited theatrical release on 20 December. Filmed in British Columbia, Poker Night centers on a rookie detective who attends an annual poker night held by veteran police officers, where each one details how they captured a murder suspect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Washington (state)</span> Overview of cannabis use and culture in Washington state

Cannabis in Washington relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis. On December 6, 2012, Washington became the first U.S. state to legalize recreational use of marijuana and the first to allow recreational marijuana sales, alongside Colorado. The state had previously legalized medical marijuana in 1998. Under state law, cannabis is legal for medical purposes and for any purpose by adults over 21.

Cannabis in South Korea is illegal for recreational use. In November 2018, the country's Narcotics Control Act was amended and use of medical cannabis became legal, making South Korea the first country in East Asia to legalize medical cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal history of cannabis in Canada</span>

The Cannabis Act (C-45) of June, 2018 paved the way for the legalization of cannabis in Canada on 17 October 2018. Police and prosecution services in all Canadian jurisdictions are currently capable of pursuing criminal charges for cannabis marketing without a licence issued by Health Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada has held that the federal Parliament has the power to criminalize the possession of cannabis and that doing so does not infringe upon the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Ontario Court of Appeal and the Superior Court of Ontario have, however, held that the absence of a statutory provision for medical marijuana is unconstitutional, and to that extent the federal law is of no force and/or effect if a prescription is obtained. The recreational use of cannabis has been legalized by the federal government, and took effect on 17 October 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Michael D. Reid, Kid Cannabis producer high on shooting in Victoria, Times Colonist , (June 5, 2014).
  2. 1 2 3 Frank Scheck (April 6, 2014). "Kid Cannabis: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Kid Cannabis". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ Staff, T. H. R. (April 16, 2014). "Kid Cannabis: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter .
  5. ↑ Mark Binelli (October 20, 2005). "Kid Cannabis: The Wild Rise and Violent Fall of a Teenage Weed Kingpin". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Larry Getlen (April 17, 2014). "How nerdy teen became a $38M pot kingpin". New York Post . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ Canton, Andrew (October 5, 2014). "Kid Cannabis Music Video (Andrew Canton-Nate Norman)". Youtube. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Kid Cannabis". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kid Cannabis". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ Gary Goldstein (April 17, 2014). "Review: 'Kid Cannabis' shows high and low life of a pot dealer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ Jordan Osterer (April 13, 2014). "Review: Kid Cannabis". Slant Magazine . Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ Neil Genzlinger (April 17, 2014). "Don't Just Pass the Joint, Sell It". The New York Times . Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ Frank Scheck (April 16, 2014). "Kid Cannabis: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Kid Cannabis". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.