How High

Two ordinary pals, Jamal King and Silas P. Silas, stumble onto a mystical herb that boosts their brains, helping them ace exams. Their success lands them at Harvard, where campus life mixes bizarre rites with serious pressure. The duo navigates Ivy League rituals with quick wits and a blunt sense of humor, turning awkward encounters into wins and getting a taste of elite dining, dorm politics, and eccentric professors. When the magical stash runs dry, they have to improvise and rely on teamwork to keep their standing. Through a string of zany misadventures, loyalty and cleverness keep them afloat amid exams, professors, and temptation.

Directed by Jesse Dylan, How High arrived in 2001. The film is built on a screenplay by Dustin Lee Abraham and features Method Man and Redman in screen collaboration, with Obba Babatundé, Anna Maria Horsford and Mike Epps in roles.

The film grossed about 31.2 million worldwide against a 12 million budget, delivering a solid return for a mid-range buddy comedy. Its success in the U.S. helped justify the studio's choice of pairing Method Man and Redman for broad appeal.

The film helped cement Method Man and Redman's on-screen duo and contributed to the college-age stoner comedy wave of the early 2000s. It also reinforced hip hop stars crossing over into mainstream film and sparked dialogue about blending rap persona with campus life, soundtrack vibes and cameos defining the era.

Critics offered a mixed reception, praising the chemistry between the leads but noting that jokes sometimes lean on familiar buddy comedy and college tropes. The film explores friendship, ingenuity under pressure, and the tension between intellect and street smarts, while balancing satire of academic privilege with street-level humor.