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How High (2001) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2001 · 93 min · English
JustWatch #3,629 23
Directed by
Jesse Dylan
Starring
Method Man, Redman
Budget
$20M

Two friends, Redman and Method Man, discover a unique herb that unexpectedly unlocks incredible academic abilities. Suddenly, they're enrolled at Harvard University, thrust into a challenging environment of privilege and high expectations. They must maintain their secret, navigate the complexities of elite academia, and rely on their wits to succeed, all while facing the looming threat of their charade being exposed.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like How High
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch How High (2001)

Where can you watch How High? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

How High Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of How High (2001) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Silas's Encounter with Ivory's Ghost

    Silas and Jamal are approached by the ghost of Silas's deceased friend, Ivory. They discover that using Ivory's ashes as fertilizer for marijuana enables them to communicate with him from beyond the grave.

  2. The THC Exam

    After connecting with Ivory's spirit, Silas and Jamal take the college entrance exam, which is humorously dubbed the THC. With Ivory's help feeding them answers, both ace the test with perfect scores.

  3. Scholarship Offers

    Following their outstanding exam results, several colleges begin to offer scholarship opportunities to Silas and Jamal. Eventually, they choose Harvard University, swayed by the compelling Chancellor Huntley.

    Where
    Harvard University
  4. Arrival at Harvard

    Upon arriving at Harvard, Silas and Jamal meet a quirky cast of characters, including Bart, the rowing team captain, and his girlfriend, Lauren. They are also introduced to their eclectic roommates, Jeffrey and Tuan.

    Where
    Harvard University
  5. Meeting the Dean

    Silas and Jamal have a pivotal meeting with Dean Carl Cain, who informs them they need to maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 to keep their scholarships. This sets the tone for their academic journey ahead.

    Where
    Dean's Office, Harvard University
  6. Pursuing Their Goals

    While Jamal is determined to outdo Bart on the rowing team, Silas dives into botany classes to perfect his cultivation skills. They also enroll in black history courses, aided by Ivory’s ghost.

    Where
    Harvard University
  7. Pranks and Antics

    As the semester progresses, Silas and Jamal’s antics lead them to pull pranks that irritate Bart and the Dean. Their carefree attitude starts to create friction in their academic life.

    Where
    Harvard University
  8. Halloween Party Mayhem

    A wild Halloween party takes a turn for the worse when valuable resources are stolen, leaving Silas and Jamal without Ivory’s support. This incident triggers a frantic search for a solution.

    Where
    Harvard University
  9. Desperate Measures

    With their grades slipping, Silas decides to experiment with a truth serum made from botanical extracts while Jamal suggests a reckless plan to exhume a legendary figure for answers. Their unorthodox methods add to the chaos.

  10. Midterm Struggles

    Midterms arrive, and both boys struggle due to a lack of preparation. Even their wild idea to dig up historical figures fails miserably, further complicating their academic standing.

  11. Finals Season Woes

    As finals approach, Silas and Jamal face mounting pressure to succeed. A last-minute reminder from Jeffrey motivates Silas to complete his truth serum, hoping it will turn their luck around.

  12. Harvard Alumni Party

    Silas receives an unexpected invitation to a prestigious Harvard Alumni party from Jamie, the Vice President's daughter. This opportunity seems like a chance to salvage their academic reputation.

    Where
    Harvard Alumni Party
  13. Truth Serum Revelations

    At the alumni party, Silas tests his truth serum, leading to hilarious and outrageous revelations. The revelation of the bong as an artifact angers Dean Cain, leading to chaotic consequences.

    Where
    Harvard Alumni Party
  14. Dean Cain's Outburst

    Enraged by the chaos at the party, Dean Cain attempts to attack Silas and Jamal with an axe. However, the confrontation ends with him being thwarted and taken away, showcasing the absurdity of their journey.

  15. A Successful Conclusion

    Ultimately, Silas and Jamal secure their places at Harvard, culminating in personal victories as Jamal gets approval to date Jamie, and Silas wins Lauren's affection. Their journey exemplifies unexpected triumphs amidst their wild college life.

    Where
    Harvard University

Last updated: November 16, 2024 at 11:56

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Timeline questions answered

How High Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of How High (2001): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

How does the magic weed allow Silas and Jamal to talk to Ivory's ghost?

Silas uses Ivory's ashes as fertilizer for his marijuana plants. When they smoke this special herb, it creates a spiritual connection that allows Ivory's ghost to communicate with them and even assist them directly, such as feeding them answers during exams.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Ivory was Silas's stoner friend who died, making his appearance as a ghost logical within the movie's supernatural-comedy rules.

  • ivory ghost
  • magic weed
  • smoking
  • communication
  • supernatural
Q2

How do Silas and Jamal get accepted to Harvard with perfect scores?

With Ivory feeding them answers during the THC exam (a parody of the SAT), both Silas and Jamal score perfectly. Harvard's Chancellor Huntley, eager to improve minority admissions, personally recruits them with scholarship offers.

  • harvard admission
  • scholarship
  • chancellor
  • perfect score
  • recruitment
Q3

What happens to Ivory's ghost after the Halloween party?

After a wild Halloween party where valuable resources are stolen, Silas and Jamal lose access to Ivory's assistance. The plant they were growing is taken, cutting off their connection to Ivory's spirit and leaving them without his help for their midterms and finals.

Foreshadowing: The Halloween party marks a turning point where their carefree antics have real consequences, foreshadowing the academic crisis that follows.

  • halloween party
  • ivory gone
  • stolen plants
  • midterms
  • spiritual connection lost
Q4

What do Silas and Jamal need to do to keep their Harvard scholarships?

Dean Carl Cain informs them they must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 to keep their scholarships. This becomes a running concern throughout the film as they struggle to pass their classes without Ivory's help.

  • gpa requirement
  • scholarship
  • dean cain
  • harvard requirements
  • academic standing
Q5

What is Silas's truth serum and why does he create it?

Desperate to fix their failing grades after losing Ivory's help, Silas attempts to create a truth serum using botanical extracts. He completes it just in time to counteract the nausea from the remaining Ivory plant leaves, though their grades still fall short.

  • truth serum
  • botany experiment
  • grades
  • desperate measures
  • plant extract
Q6

Why does Dean Cain try to attack Silas and Jamal with an axe?

At the Harvard Alumni party, Silas tests his truth serum, which leads to hilarious revelations including the discovery that a supposed artifact is actually a bong. The chaos and embarrassment enrage Dean Cain, causing him to grab an axe and attack the duo before being apprehended.

  • dean cain
  • axe attack
  • alumni party
  • truth serum
  • bong revelation
  • chaos
Q7

How do Silas and Jamal pass their classes at Harvard?

While Ivory's ghost assists them by feeding answers during classes and exams, they also enroll in black history courses where they can draw on their natural knowledge. This combination helps them pass their classes early in the semester.

  • pass classes
  • ivory help
  • black history courses
  • academic assistance
Q8

What is Jamal's rivalry with Bart about?

Jamal attempts to outdo Bart, who is the Harvard rowing team captain, in an effort to prove himself and gain respect among their peers. This rivalry is part of their broader attempt to fit in at the elite university.

  • jamal
  • bart
  • rivalry
  • rowing team
  • peer respect
Q9

How do Silas and Jamal end up staying at Harvard despite failing their finals?

Despite their grades falling short, the boys receive an unexpected invitation to the prestigious Harvard Alumni party from Jamie, the Vice President's daughter. At the chaotic party, they somehow manage to secure their place at Harvard, culminating in a happy ending where both succeed academically and romantically.

  • stay at harvard
  • alumni party
  • ending
  • success
  • harvard acceptance
Q10

What is the "smart dead guy" plan Jamal proposes?

When their grades slip and they lose Ivory's help, Jamal suggests exhuming John Quincy Adams, a historically smart person, as a desperate attempt to get answers and improve their grades. The plan fails miserably, adding to their academic woes.

  • john quincy adams
  • dig up
  • desperate plan
  • exhume
  • failed attempt

Movie threads

More Movies Like How High, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes How High tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with supernatural aid like How High

When ordinary skills aren't enough, extraordinary help provides a hilarious edge. Find movies like How High where characters get a magical boost. These comedies feature ordinary people using supernatural help to navigate elite worlds, academic challenges, or social situations, creating hilarious underdog stories with low stakes and high fun.

  • playful
  • high-energy
  • irreverent
  • wish-fulfillment
  • slapstick
  • carefree
  • Tone: light, irreverent
  • Pacing: steady, gag-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow underdog characters who gain access to a magical solution that bypasses conventional rules. The narrative tension comes from maintaining the secret while using the advantage to achieve improbable success, often culminating in a comedic confrontation where their secret is nearly exposed.

Why they belong together: They share a core premise where magical intervention creates comedic contrast between the characters' ordinary nature and their extraordinary achievements, all while maintaining a light, playful tone with steady pacing and medium intensity.

Academic satire comedies like How High

Unlikely students disrupt the stuffy world of elite academia with chaotic humor. Discover movies similar to How High that feature fish-out-of-water stories in academic settings. These campus comedies use culture clash between unlikely students and elite institutions as the source for slapstick humor, pranks, and social commentary.

  • satirical
  • slapstick
  • irreverent
  • buddy comedy
  • class clash
  • college life
  • Tone: light, satirical
  • Pacing: steady, episodic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows outsiders who infiltrate an elite academic institution, often through dubious means. Their journey involves navigating unfamiliar social codes, challenging authority figures, and using their street smarts to expose the pretensions of the privileged world, all while forming bonds with fellow misfits.

Why they belong together: They are united by the specific setting of elite academia as a backdrop for comedic social commentary, featuring buddy dynamics, class conflict, and a steady stream of gags that poke fun at institutional pomposity.

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Movies Like How High

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Every angle

How High (2001) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about How High in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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