Movie Review: Mac + Devin go to High School (2012, Blu-ray)

Ice Cube is one in a million. He's the only rapper on the planet that should be allowed to write comedy. I'll be honest, I didn't go into Mac + Devin with any expectations. I'm just going to get right to it. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa came up with the story of a weed dealer and the school's top student getting paired up on a school science project. They play the lead characters, respectively. Though there is a mild reference made to Snoop being a high school student in his forties, it's still just stupid. There's an old woman principal named Cummings, an uptight white guy vice principal named Skinnfloot, and a slew of other terrible characters. I can't forget the poorly computer animated talking joint voiced by Mystikal. It's all bad.



N.Hale High School is coming to the end of the year. Devin (Khalifa) needs to succeed and get to college to make his family and irritating girlfriend proud. After Mac (Snoop) gets him high on edibles (food laced with weed, for those who haven't experienced that mind-numbing event), things go as you could easily predict throughout this horrible train wreck. Oh, but not until after we get a music video from the duo, who step out of character for the four minutes that end with Don "Magic" Juan. It doesn't matter what the girls in the movie are doing, they're all hot airheads that dress like the lost cast members of The Jersey Shore. Sadly, that's the one thing that makes this somewhat worthwhile to look at, though they all seem like mannequins.

I don't dislike stoner movies. Half Baked is one of my all-time favorite movies. I also have no opposition to people who aren't traditionally known for film stepping into the field. As I previously mentioned, Ice Cube has done well in film as an actor, writer and director. He's talented, plain and simple. What I get irritated by is the lack of humor in a supposed comedy. This shit just isn't funny. It doesn't help that unfunny people who have been confused for comedians are in the cast. Mike Epps improved the Friday series, but his stand-up proves that he needs good writing. Andy Milonakis is to comedy what Adolf Hitler is to a bar mitzvah. Does not belong.

This movie is poorly written, poorly acted, poorly directed and poorly conceived. I wish I hadn't seen any of it. Unfortunately, it goes with the territory when you review movies. They can't be all gems, and as someone who has helped make horrible movies, it's very easy for me to recognize one.