Film

Super High Me

Name: Super High Me
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Released: 2007
Cast: Doug Benson, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Jeff Ross, Gary Cohan

Comedy
Light-hearted

Doug Benson's 2007 stoner comedy-doc tracks 30 days sober then 30 days heavily medicated to measure marijuana's effects on his body and mind. It's loose, funny, and surprisingly earnest about the medical debate, though the experiment's scientific rigour is... flexible. Made for people who enjoy cannabis culture without pretension.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a stand-up's loose, self-deprecating curiosity and don't mind a comedian's ordinary life being turned into a running experiment, with the jokes sharing space with a serious debate about medical pot.

Skip it if you want a tightly plotted film or steady comic rhythm, since this is a loose hangout with a sincere policy argument bolted on that can stall the laughs.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes, with a slow, repetitive daily rhythm, so patience with a deliberately unhurried build counts for more than sharp timing.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High2007

Released the same year, this doc seriously examines cannabis economics and legalization arguments while remaining entertaining. A natural companion that goes deeper into the policy questions Super High Me raises in passing.

But It's more earnest and less jokey than Super High Me, with less personality-driven narrative. The pacing can drag when diving into regulatory minutiae.

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High poster

Weeds2005

Eight seasons of a suburban mom dealing pot to pay bills. Funny, character-driven, and genuinely excellent for the first half. Mary-Louise Parker is magnetic, and the writing stays sharp.

But It peaks early and declines noticeably after season four. Later seasons become increasingly absurd in ways that don't work, and commitment to eight years is substantial.

I'm Still Here2010

Casey Affleck's mockumentary about a fake retirement plays similar games with documentary form and performer ego. Hilarious if you appreciate absurdist humor and meta-comedy.

But Extremely divisive. Some find it tedious and self-indulgent; the documentary pastiche might feel tired if you're not already invested in Joaquin Phoenix.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Super High Me

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Requiem for a Dream2000

Both examine drug's effects on the body and mind, but where Super High Me is comedic experiment, Requiem is artistic documentation of addiction's psychology—opposite registers, same obsession.

Darren Aronofsky's brutal masterpiece parallels four addictions—heroin, cocaine, speed, television—through four lives falling apart simultaneously. The structural and visual experimentation is stunning, and it's about hunger more than any specific drug.

But This is devastatingly bleak. The final hour is genuinely difficult to watch, with body horror and unrelenting despair. Nothing like the playful tone of Benson's doc.

Louie2010

Louis C.K.'s semi-autobiographical comedy series is brilliantly written and genuinely moving beneath the jokes. Blends observational comedy with real emotional stakes—smart and funny.

But Uneven across ten seasons, and Louis C.K.'s personal conduct has made revisiting his work uncomfortable for many viewers. Early seasons are strongest.

8:462020

A raw, furious 12-minute stand-up response to George Floyd's murder. Chappelle at his most urgent, funniest, and most serious simultaneously.

But It's a heavy response to tragedy, not light viewing. The subject matter and emotional intensity make it very different from stoner comedy.

Super Troopers2001

State troopers pranking each other and harassing motorists. Absurdist sketch-comedy structure that's endlessly quotable and silly in the best way.

But It's pure pranks and stupidity with no substance whatsoever. If you want anything resembling plot or character arc, look elsewhere.

The Pharmacist2020

Like Super High Me, it uses one person's investigation to examine a broader drug policy debate, but Pharmacist stakes are life-and-death rather than comedic—exploring how drugs affect bodies systemically rather than one guy's wellness experiment.

A 4-part Netflix doc following a New Orleans pharmacist's one-man crusade against the opioid crisis. Rage, grief, and moral clarity driven by genuine stakes. Transforms a true-crime format into something with real purpose.

But It's heavy and sometimes frustratingly slow. The narrative meanders, and the system's problems are so vast they don't resolve satisfyingly.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man1989

Both examine physical transformation wrought by substances (cannabis versus mutation), but Tetsuo literalizes Super High Me's casual inquiry into 'what happens to your body?' into nightmarish, aggressive body modification—absurdism becomes horror.

Shinya Tsukamoto's surreal 64-minute Japanese body-horror film about a man who transforms into metal. Visceral, grotesque, hypnotic—shot in black and white with a fractured narrative that feels like a fever dream.

But Deliberately obscure and difficult. No conventional plot, heavy body horror, and it requires patience with experimental cinema. Subtitled, in Japanese, utterly weird.