Watch Wild Weed For Free

good back-story, and good acting

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The IMDb ratings for WILD WEED (which I saw in a version entitled SHE SHOULDA SAID 'NO!') might be low, but this is actually a pretty fun movie that's a lot better than the other sensationalist dramas I've been watching recently (like GAMBLING WITH SOULS and THE WILD AND WICKED for example). The handling of the material is just so over the top that it makes for a highly entertaining viewing experience.The central character (played with relish by Lila Leeds, who in real life was busted for possession of marijuana alongside Robert Mitchum) is the usual innocent type who falls in with the wrong crowd and ends up finding herself in prison as a result. However, there's a twist, and in the second half of the production things really pick up as this turns into a low budget crime thriller with police, bad guys, and the like.Compared to leading Hollywood productions of the era, like the ever-popular film noir genre, SHE SHOULDA SAID 'NO!' is pretty tame and silly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The heavy-handed preachiness of the anti-drug message is always fun to watch, and the cast are certainly game; we get the ever-dependable Lyle Talbot in support, alongside Jack Elam in his film debut.

I must confess that although I do enjoy movies that are so bad they are funny, when it comes to anti-drug movies from the golden age of Hollywood, I haven't found them to be all that funny. Sure, it may be amusing at first to see marijuana smokers to be addicts and doing things like giggling like crazy with the first puff of a joint, that stuff gets old real fast. That's one reason why I didn't find "Wild Weed" (a.k.a. "She Shoulda Said No") all that amusing. Another reason was that this particular anti-drug movie was somewhat more competently made than other films on the subject. The production values, though cheap, are somewhat better than usual. So is the acting and the writing. Don't get me wrong, the movie is generally dumb and low budget, but it doesn't get to be so incompetent to be really bad or unintentionally hilarious. The only audience I see for this movie are film scholars who are writing about forbidden Hollywood movies and/or the history of movies concerning drugs.

Naïve show girl gets involved with hard cases in a marijuana drug ring.Seeing this pot-warning epic, you might confuse the devil weed with a shot of laughing gas. That's because after taking a puff, the smokers stand around and giggle for hours on end. I kept hoping for an orgy, but no luck, just a lot of pointless laughing. Looks like the director auditioned supporting players on how long and maniacally they could giggle.Sure, the movie's a grade Z production that probably showed in a few all-night grind houses. Still, a couple less-than- terrible aspects manage to emerge. The montages are generally well done, especially the white piano dream at the Hollywood Bowl. Plus, the principal acting is not that bad. Whatever else, bad girl Leeds manages a pretty good performance, along with veteran stone face Alan Baxter. Oddly, the narrative breaks into two parts—the first is the goofy drug part, while the second amounts to standard crime drama. Add 'em up and you've got a generally bad movie that doesn't rise to campy level, but still manages a few redeeming aspects.(In passing-- The guy playing the orchestral piano is a legitimate long-hair, Rudolf Friml Jr., whose dad composed such well-known operettas as Rose-Marie and The Vagabond King. I guess this was meant to add a touch of class to an otherwise seedy production.)

This story of 'tea' and 'tomatoes' purports to boast an 'All Star Hollywood Cast', but even if you're a follower of films from the 1930's and '40's, I don't think you'll recognize a single name in the credits. Maybe Lyle Talbot, who's screen credits total nearly three hundred roles, but after that I think you'd be hard pressed to recognize another actor in the picture. Except for Jack Elam in one of his very first screen roles; he actually was a rather good looking guy back then. That might have been the single treat in the film for me.It's curious how all of these exploitation films wind up with a handful of different titles. I saw this picture under the name "She Shoulda' Said No", and just like the classic cult film "Reefer Madness", it tells the story of youth run wild after falling victim to the evil terrors of marihuna (sometimes spelled marijuana as a closing segment informs us). It's hard to take seriously today of course, and I really wish there were some folks around from the era who could tell us first hand how these flicks were received back in the day.I have to say, I was really distracted by Alan Baxter's portrayal of the local pusher Markey. He's a dead ringer for a young Jack Nicholson, and if I didn't know better, I would have been checking the credits to see if it was him or not. Another weird thing was the use of that eerie sci-fi/Twilight Zone type music whenever folks on screen were shown puffing on the dreaded weed. You know, I had to laugh when I saw the "I'm gonna die' guy under the influence. It reminded me of the very first and just about only time I tried pot myself. It was in an apartment that lost it's heat in the winter, and my best friend was convinced he was going to freeze to death. I wasn't as hysterical as Rita and her friends, but I thought it was all pretty funny at the time.I had a curious thought about mid-way through the picture. Wouldn't it be great if the Coen Brothers took the idea of these exploitation flicks and made one of their own? You could really get some mileage out of characters portrayed by John Tuturro, Jon Polito, and Steve Buscemi. Jack Nicholson might be a little too old for this sort of stuff, but I think a cameo would be just the right touch. I think he would be up for it.