Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Images of an Ivy League "Cheech & Chong"

The performance of "Freak Show" is worth the price of admission, outstanding !!!

I really thought the character actor George C. Scott had been resurrected and clothed in a halloween costume. I was mesmerized by Christopher Meloni's performance ,,, funny, scary, jaw dropping ,,, totally believable.

But ,,, I would have appreciated it if they would have fired-up a few more joints ,,, just for me :-) June 23, 2008

Bland as a microwaved burger

Before I delve into this review I want to state that my film tastes tend to run towards foreign films, especially Japanese and French, and independent films, however, sometimes I do enjoy a good lowbrow film every now and then including such flicks as Adam McKay's Talladega Nights, Larry Charles's Borat, and any film by Kevin Smith. With this in mind, I was fully prepared, and really wanted to; enjoy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, but, in the end, the film left me a bit cold.

The film revolves around the lives of Harold Lee and Kumar Patel, the former a recent graduate who diligently does his, and his superiors' work, at a prominent business and who silently lusts over a beautiful Latina girl who lives on the same floor of his apartment building, an the latter, an incredibly intelligent pre-med graduate with a number of medical schools seeking him who prefers to spend his time smoking grass and looking to get laid. One night, after smoking weed, the two men get hungry and decide to get some White Castle burgers after seeing a particularly titillating add. However, the duo not knowing exactly where a White Castle is located go on a number of adventures that include buying weed at an Ivy League college, meeting a backwoodsman and his sexy wife, and having their car stolen by Neil Patrick Harris.

How can a movie go wrong with Neil Patrick Harris? Here is how it could happen. My main gripe with the film is the acting of Kal Penn, Kumar, it is cool that he is trying to be laidback and nonchalant versus John Cho's more stiff character of Harold, but it comes off as being too "cool," very wooden, and affected making much of the film's comedy to come off as being rather bland. John Cho does a better job as the stiff Harold, but overall this film's comic moments come off as stale, and it could have really done without the computer generated/puppet animals which look so fake that a fan of B movie sci-fi flicks would cringe. May 19, 2008

Hope in a Strange Package

This was not a movie I thought I'd like, and when I hear it talked about, I'm surprised I did, but there it is.

Why do I like this movie? Profound? Not superficially. Funny? Oh yes. Filled with life lessons? Hardly. But historic nevertheless.

For many of the actor's generation, the history may be lost. To baby boomer Asian Americans such as myself, a movie with two unashamedly Asian American stars that isn't primarily about their race and immigrant history (thogh Kal Penn riffs off that history) is definitely unique.

And growing up in the Cheech and Chong era, the humor is even better as well as the acting. John Cho is a great comic actor and Kal Penn has proven himself here, but also in the great dramatic movie, the Namesake. Both of these actors have great futures. I hope that Hollywood has grown from the steretyping limits faced by their seniors, from George Takei to Gedde Watanabe.

They get the right level of racial humor, not dominating the picture or overly self conscious. I'm not entirely comfortable with the way sex is handled, the women are one dimensional, but as a buddy picture, it reflects some of the primary friendships of young adults including my own long ago as it may have been.

It will be interesting to follow the careers of these actors. I hope that this is the first of many in a variety of genres that treat our nation's growing diversity in a more matter of fact, and positive way. Is is no wonder to see Kal Penn pounding the pavements in Iowa for Barack Obama's campaign. Hope and Change is not just a political movement, but a cultural one as well.

Fun and historic, who can beat that combination? April 3, 2008

So wrong it's right - didn't expect to laugh so much

First of all, I'm not a stoner, and I'm a woman, and I don't think I'm supposed to like this movie - but I do. It is an off the wall adventure of two unlikely heroes who only want to get to a table at White Castle and enjoy hamburgers while high. It's not a family film in any way and if you're easily offended - this movie is not for you. If you're up for a raunchy, pushing all the limits ride - buckle up and hold on. This one had me shocked, awed and laughing the entire time.

I settled in for what I thought was going to be a stagnant, low budget comedy and I was surprised that this is more of a road trip movie that constantly moves. Every time I thought they couldn't possibly push the limits and be more crass, they take it to yet another level. It's pretty perplexing that the movie is as good as it is.

That said, the two leads are adorable and loveable and fabulous. They're at times green and at times effortless, but always enjoyable. I found myself routing for them and their nonsense journey, I wanted them to make it to White Castle. They became stoner warriors, breaking politically incorrect boundaries and then riding a cheetah. Seriously, a cheetah - who does that? It was awesome.

I'm still laughing to myself about Neil Patrick Harris's role. Talk about breaking a type cast. He has officially killed 'Doogie Howser, M.D." All of the cameo roles are brilliant and I'll be purchasing a copy of this for my dad ("Strange Brew" is his favorite movie), but I won't be passing it along to my girlfriends or anyone in my mom groups because I fear I'd get flogged.
March 4, 2008

Riding the cheetah.. OMG

This movie is quite hilarious and had me laughing so hard at parts I cried. January 16, 2008

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