a/k/a Tommy Chong (2006)

The United States Government versus Thomas B. Kin Chong, a/k/a Tommy Chong, the bandana-clad half of stoner comedy duo Cheech & Chong. In 2003 Chong was charged with selling bongs over the internet and sentenced to nine months in federal prison. As part of the government's $12 million drug paraphernalia sting operation, Operation Pipe Dreams, Chong, a vocal opponent of Bush's handling of the War on Terror, was singled out among 55 defendants to serve time. Filmmaker Josh Gilbert captures the post-prison, avuncular Chong as he turns his arrest-by-SWAT-team into hilarious stand-up material. But our laughs are seasoned by the recognition of our government's questionable priorities and its shameless use of the judicial system to scapegoat a counterculture icon. More »

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