Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie Shows You ‘They’re Not Friends, They’re Brothers’

Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie director David Bushell spoke to ComingSoon about his inventive documentary, which takes an in-depth look at the lives and legacy of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The film officially releases in theaters on April 25, 2025, but will fittingly see select engagements on April 20. Bushell spoke about the duo’s brothership, capturing them bickering, and the film’s unique use of animation and a road trip motif.

“Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie defies documentary expectations, offering a wildly imaginative take on genre convention; a true-life tale told through a mix of animation and archival madness, all underscored by a classic cinematic road trip comedy. Tracing the enduring legacy of pioneering comics Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, the film features interviews, sketches, and never-before-seen footage spanning the duo’s five-decade career. The result is an unlikely story of friendship and fame, turmoil and defiance, rebellion and ultimately – redemption,” says the synopsis.

Tyler Treese: I thought this was such a fun documentary. There’s a lot of animation; there’s some fourth wall breaks. How was it coming up with this style? Because it seems like you came across it the right way for the subject matter.

David Bushell: I watch a lot of nonfiction, and I felt like the genre was due to be pressed on a bit. So I thought the desert and the animation and all that stuff would just make the experience a bit more dynamic for the audience and theatrical.

You’re obviously an experienced producer, but what was your relationship with Cheech and Chong like before this? How did you convince them to work with you?

We were supposed to make a reunion film. When that didn’t happen, and I had another project that I was gonna direct that didn’t happen, it just was born out of that. it was kind of meant to be.

How long have you been a fan of their work?

Since Up In Smoke when I was about eight or nine years old.

How did you come up with the road trip framing for the documentary?

I just thought that it was theatrical and would be a great device for transitions and whatnot.

You cover their breakup throughout the film. You see some of those issues are still lingering, as the film captures. How was it going into those sore spots?

Cheech reminded me early in the process that they’re not friends; they’re brothers. So they’ve got this 50-year union, and they’ve been through thick and thin and they were willing to kind of talk about that stuff, which I think is really revealing and wildly empathetic for an audience. So that was something; it was a third-act engine that just made sense, and they were game.

As the title says, it’s their last movie. Was there any pressure on that for you to do right by their legacy?

Whether it was their last movie or not, it’s the definitive documentary that I hope people come out for. So there was a tremendous amount of pressure, but after premiering the film and Tommy and Cheech seeing it and the strong response, I feel like there’s a bit of a vindication. But yeah, it was a bit nerve-wracking because I didn’t want to be the guy that messed up the Cheech and Chong movie.

Source: Comingsoon.net