a/k/a Tommy Chong
A dynamic portrait of comedy legend Tommy Chong, set against the unfolding political horror story of post 9/11 America. Filmmaker Josh Gilbert follows the tragic and absurd tale of Chong as he travels down the rabbit hole of America’s war on drugs and the federal prison system after becoming the primary target in a government sting, code named “Operation Pipe Dreams.”
In February of 2003, at a time of unparalleled assaults to our freedoms by international terrorists, John Ashcroft and U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan spent 12 million dollars to take down Tommy Chong for selling art glass water pipes – aka bongs – over the Internet. What emerges is an intimate portrait of a cosmic character, caught in the crosshairs of a surreal Cheech and Chong fantasy come to life.