This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Have you ever wondered what 12 million dollars can do? It turns out that 12 million dollars and hundreds of man hours by law enforcement can send a 62 year husband and father with no prior arrests to jail for sending some glass pipes to Pennsylvania. Does that strike you as a good use of taxpayer money??? This is a fascinating movie that all people need to see. Whatever side you are on, you need to see what our so called 'freedom loving' government will do to silence people who don't fit into their cookie cutter lifestyle. Watch this movie and take action. We are long over due for change and our justice system, as clearly shown here, is sadly anything but just.

...and those others, in essence, might be most people in America. As the subject of a/k/a Tommy Chong states himself in the film- after being incarcerated for nine months for selling bongs to one state- his arrest and conviction was meant as a symbol for what could be done to practically anybody. When the current administration puts forth the notion of drug use being equal to terrorism all bets are off as to who's next. So the documentary here, maybe one of the better ones out this summer, works pretty much for two sides. Those interested in seeing a story of a case about the drug issue and civil rights, calling into question the constitution, and what's done by the attorney general's office is on one side. On the other side is the far and wide fan-base of Chong's from his stand-up, albums, and movies. The director Josh Gilbert does a very good job at balancing out the facts and interviews about the bong case and Chong's stay in prison with his personal and career histories. Some of this archival footage has not been seen in years, if at all, which brings out many good laughs alongside the classic clips interspersed in the film.It's not really 'polished' style-wise, and it is mostly filmed with digital cameras at times capturing even the mundane moments of Chong days before going off to prison. Scenes like this usually wouldn't be in some documentaries, even as this is very independently made and wont be seen by as many people as other documentaries coming out this year. But in Chong's own testimonies, both of the facts and then how he puts it on in recent stand-up footage, and then through the legal and personal ramifications of the case, there's a lot to ponder and feel from the material. There's sadness, there's humor, there's outrage, and even moments of clarity and catharsis- Chong's now, apparently, been made a martyr through this happening, more popular and more counter-culture than ever in his late sixties. It's imperfect, but it has a crucial topic that is made all the more human by who is put at the center of "operation pipe dreams".

I saw this at the 2006 Palm Springs International Film Festival and Tommy Chong and his wife Shelby and director Josh Gilbert were on hand to take Q&A after. This is the story of how a couple of Mary's, US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and Assistant US Attorney Mary Mckeen Houghton brought down the comic king of Mary Jane, Tommy Chong. Chong was busted in Operation Pipedream for operating an internet business that was selling glass bongs. This was illegal to ship these products to the states of Pennsylvania and Iowa. Chong's company knew it was illegal to ship to Pennsylvania but did so anyway and got busted. What were they thinking? Where they high or something? uh, never mind. Chong claimed that it was unfortunate that the US Government couldn't distinguish between the character he plays and his real persona. But Chong however had his character printed on the bongs he sold and went around making public appearances at head shops which kind of showed that he himself was using his character to promote his bong sales. The Feds basically were saying that they were using his character against him because he was using his character for profit in glamorizing pot smoking. He waived indictment to a Grand Jury and plead guilty and served nine months at the medium security Taft prison in California. I would think that Chongs reemergence in the media as a recurring character burnout Leo on the popular TV comedy "That 70's Show" that appeals to a largely teenage audience helped seal his fate of them using his celebrity status against him. Having nearly a pound of pot in house when it was raided probably didn't help with his defense that he was not the character from the Cheech & Chong movies in real life. This movie is shot on video not film and is heavily slanted as anti John Ashcroft and Bush Administration. Footage of Bill Maher and Jay Leno talking about the unfair bust is included here but they do political and entertainment humor so that's a natural and Cheech Marin is shown talking about his former partner but why is George Thorogood included? This is no Ken Burns film as documentaries go but it does have a lot of humor and room for plenty of thought. I would give it a 6.5 of a possible 10 and recommend it.

This is a hilarious and frightening look at the career and persecution of Tommy Chong. Loaded with hilarious clips of Tommy's classics like "Up In Smoke", the real subject of the movie is, of course, very serious. The manner in which Chong was targeted and the resources spent on his arrest and prosecution were both somewhat shocking. Bill Maher said it best: "Don't you feel safer knowing the Tommy Chong is in prison?"Whether the viewer is a relic of the 70's or just interested in constitutional rights, (these people actually do exist) this movie is definitely worth seeing.