RSSHarold and Kumar Go to White Castle
I decided to check out Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle because I found Danny Leiner's first movie, Dude, Where's My Car?, really enjoyable. Even though the plot was ridiculous, and the humor downright puerile at times, Dude worked primarily because of Seann William Scott's comic talent and the movie's utter refusal to take itself seriously. So I was hoping Harold and Kumar would, with a little luck, at least be another fun stoner movie. But what I got was something much, much better. Not only is Harold and Kumar a ton of laughs, but it succeeds on multiple levels.
If you want a plot summary, you don't need to look any further than the title. Two friends with the munchies are sidetracked numerous times on their way to square burger heaven. But don't let that fool you. Under the teen movie/drug movie/buddy movie trappings, Harold and Kumar is both a thoughtful social commentary and an old-fashioned farce propelled by Kal Penn's excellent performance. Kumar is the talented-but-shiftless slacker who would rather thumb his nose at authority than buy in to someone else's idea of who he should be. Harold (John Cho) works hard to get ahead, only to be pushed down by those who would take advantage of him. It is this social disparity that is behind much of the humor of the movie. The enemy is The Man in all his forms: the police, the schools, our employers, and even the local bullies. All they have is their unflagging determination to get what they want.
Harold and Kumar is by far the most intelligent stupid movie I've ever seen. And if you like breasts, make sure you get the unrated version.
BSR (Base Show Rating): 7/10
Applicable Modifiers:
- +1 if you're high
- -2 if you liked Dude, Where's My Car? because of Ashton Kutcher
