Summary
There’s no reason to recommend this to any audience. It’s, unfortunately, one of the dregs of Netflix.
This review of Netflix film The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman contains no spoilers. The comedy was released on February 10, 2021.
Strangely, I was listening to a Joe Rogan interview with Dr Carl Hart yesterday — a long-time champion on evidence-based drug policies. He believes we shouldn’t be punishing people for what they put in their bodies, and laws need to change and that we need to enforce responsible drug-taking. The conversation meanders along, and the topic of Film & TV arises; how drugs are perceived in narrative form — it’s always about out-of-control drug addicts and dealers. It’s never about a perfectly reasonable drug user who can operate in life, and acts with kindness and maturity. Even The Wolf of Wall Street, which highlights an extremely successful man who veered on the wrong side of the law, was seen to be out of control with drugs, and that being the main factor of his greed for money.
And lo and behold, the next day, I watch a comedy that uses a play on words to present drugs — The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman brings forth two dysfunctional dealers who try to build their small drug business by using family ties. They are viewed as erratic, out-of-control, and degenerate in society. Their degeneracy is the comedy; they are wild, obnoxious, and they see no limits. To be fair, in the opening scenes, Cokeman does offer a customer “cocaine from the drywall” — this really is a bombastic comedy that serves little purpose to the viewer apart from a few, grunting laughs. This Netflix film supports the point that drugs are used as a damaging narrative trope.
But putting aside the basis of narrative writing, from a critical perspective, The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman is not as funny as it tries to act. It’s a movie that feels as if the characters laugh louder, the audience follows, but it’s far from the truth. There’s an argument that can be put forward where the style of direction can be admired, but the format of the story is all over the place — it’s lazily written with only a few gags in mind.
Netflix’s The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman is here for the short thrills, navigating the audience through an adventure of many misdemeanors, with the third act leading to an all-out-war. There’s no reason to recommend this to any audience. It’s, unfortunately, one of the dregs of Netflix.
RELATED: The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman Ending Explained
