Ruby Cruz Feels No Shame Watching This Movie Multiple Times | Sorry Not Sorry
Stoner comedies are often treated as if they're nothing more than an excuse for slacker characters to get high and act ridiculous for 90 minutes. That criticism has followed the genre for decades, even though some of its biggest titles have become cult classics that people love. Ruby Cruz, the star of the Apple TV sci-fi series For All Mankind Season 5, is one of them.
WATCH: Ruby Cruz Feels No Shame Watching This Movie Multiple Times
"I'm gonna say Beach Bum," Cruz revealed with a pause when JustWatch asked which movies the cast of For All Mankind would defend no matter what. "I've seen it like eight times. And it just depends… some people that's not their cup of tea. But you never know [how] someone's going to respond to it. I've had good and bad responses."
Stoner movies are designed to be unpredictable and effortlessly funny, with characters who drift from one bizarre situation to the next without worrying too much about where they're headed. So I can totally get on board with Cruz's pick. Sometimes light entertainment is exactly what people want after a long day. You don't have to keep track of complicated timelines or recover from a devastating ending.
You simply sit back and enjoy the ride. Released in 2019, The Beach Bum follows Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a hard-partying poet who has spent years drifting through the Florida Keys, living off the wealth of his wife, Minnie (Isla Fisher). Even though he's respected as a writer, Moondog is far more interested in going with the flow until a tragedy forces him to reevaluate his choices.
Stoner Movies Have A Special Type Of Appeal
Stoner comedies have been around for decades, but the genre really found its footing in the 1970s with films like Up in Smoke (1978) starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. That film established many of the conventions audiences still associate with the genre today, such as unlikely friendships, ridiculous misunderstandings, and stories that happily wander wherever the next joke happens to be.
Since then, movies like Half Baked (1998), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), and Pineapple Express (2008) have all put their own spin on the formula. Some focus on extreme goofiness, while others become action movies halfway through. But they all have one thing in common. They're interested in the journey rather than the destination.
That's probably why the genre has remained so popular. Not every movie needs to challenge its audience or leave them questioning the meaning of life. Sometimes it's enough to spend a few hours in a world where almost anything feels possible. And by extension, that requirement gives filmmakers permission to throw logic out the window.
Of course, the stoner genre isn't for everyone. There are people who find the deliberately loose storytelling frustrating, especially if they're looking for a tightly constructed plot. But for audiences who enjoy hanging out with eccentric characters more than following rigid narratives, that's exactly where the appeal of a movie like The Beach Bum comes in.
Why To Watch 'The Beach Bum' (And What To Watch After)
Like most of director Harmony Korine's work, The Beach Bum isn't interested in following a straight line in terms of the plot. Conversations drift off course, and entire sequences feel like they exist purely because Korine thought they would be fun to watch. But all comes together thanks to McConaughey, whose earnest portrayal of Moondog makes you root for him despite his terrible decision-making.
If The Beach Bum leaves you wanting another comedy that skews toward the absurd, 2000's Dude, Where's My Car? is an easy recommendation. The film follows best friends Jesse (Ashton Kutcher) and Chester (Seann William Scott), who wake up after a wild night with no memory of what happened or where they parked their car.
What begins as a simple search quickly turns into encounters with alien cults, angry girlfriends, mysterious strangers, and one increasingly ridiculous revelation after another. Like The Beach Bum, it's not a movie that's overly concerned with realism. The fun comes from watching two hopelessly clueless characters float through a series of increasingly bizarre situations while somehow surviving all of them.
