Just as Mike Judge's Office Space has become an anthem for all us Gen X cubicle slaves, Harold and Kumar will resonate deeply with anyone who attended high school in the 1990s and at least saw a joint.
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:105
Rotten:38
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: The likable leads and subversion of racial stereotypes elevate Harold and Kumar above the typical stoner comedy.
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $18,225,165
Synopsis: Following up his hit DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? writer-director Danny Leiner has come up with the riotous road-trip comedy HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. Harold (John Cho) has graduated college and... Following up his hit DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? writer-director Danny Leiner has come up with the riotous road-trip comedy HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. Harold (John Cho) has graduated college and is now working at a cubicle, where he is abused by other workers and forced to do their jobs for them. Kumar (Kal Penn) is expected to go to medical school to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother, but he'd rather spend his time partying. The entire film takes place in one night, as wild Kumar is determined to get a sack of burgers at White Castle, even though his more staid roommate would prefer to stay home and finish a project for his officemates. While Kumar seeks fun and adventure, lusting after nearly every woman he meets, Harold dreams only of Maria (Paula Garces), the woman down the hall whom he likes but is too afraid to talk to. Harold & Kumar's excellent adventure includes an outrageous bathroom scene in a college; a cop who takes his job way too seriously; a group of extreme, rad dudes who harass Harold, Kumar, and a convenience store manager; LAW & ORDER: SVU's Chris Meloni as an incredibly disgusting possible psycho; and Neil Patrick Harris playing himself, making fun of his Doogie Howser image. In addition to plenty of raunchy--and very funny--references to sex, drugs, and rock & roll, Leiner also takes on stereotypes and the meaning of love. [More]
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Malin Akerman
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Malin Akerman, David Krumholtz, Paula Garces, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Siu Ta, Sandy Jobin-Bevans, Christopher Meloni, Gary Anthony Williams, Bobbi Lee, Fred Willard, Steve Braun, Ethan Embry, Luis Guzman, Jamie Kennedy
Director: Danny Leiner
Director: Danny Leiner
Screenwriter: Jonathan Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Producer: Greg Shapiro, Nathan Kahane
Composer: David Kitay
Studio: New Line Cinema
Reviews for Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
A funny stoner buddy movie, with nods to those original multicultural high times guys, Cheech and Chong, and flashes of the kind of party-on comedy that Saturday Night Live slackers Wayne and Garth made most excellent.
A celebration of the rights of all people from all races, creeds and beliefs to have equal access to the best-damned burger Americans can fry up!
“Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle” may have a better grasp of modern race relations than so-called “serious” films.
The script goes to acceptable lengths to make the duo more than the idiotic, giggling stoners we’d usually see.
If you want to laugh loud and long, go see it. But for heaven's sake, check your tender sensibilities at the door.
Smart, goofy and endearing, Cho and Penn make a terrific team, and the fact that they’re starring in their own movie suggests that, in the Hollywood comedy frat house, there's finally room for everyone.
It isn't just another dumb druggie flick that suggests the world begins and ends with getting high.
I don't know if it's a revolution, but it's a step in the right direction. Funny, too.
[Harold and Kumar] share a quality the overgrown adolescents in films like this are never allowed to possess: They're witty, focused, and highly aware.
One of those silly, rude, crude, buddy adventure movies that hits the right spot.
It doesn’t make any sense, but damn if it doesn’t pull it off in style.
[Cho and Penn] form an immediately likeable twosome with enough chemistry to carry this comedy ... past some obvious faults.
If told as a story by a guest at a party, “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” would undoubtedly end with the phrase: “I guess you had to be there.”
Has the coarse exterior of a typical 'stoner classic,' but also a prominent undercurrent that is sweet, clever, and even a little thoughtful.
Though too scattershot and uneven to be recommended without reservation, it has a loose, goofball charm that makes it a pleasant surprise and may earn it cult status.
Winds up a sweetly nonchalant and excellently unwhiny allegory of seeking and gaining entry to the Caucasian fortress that is present-day America, or at least nocturnal New Jersey.
As unsatisfying as its titular fast food chain’s repulsive mini-burgers, Leiner’s film shoots only for scatological silliness.
Latest News for Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
April 08, 2009:
Kal Penn Trades Acting for Public Service ![]()
"Harold and Kumar" star Kal Penn has given up acting -- but rather than pursuing a new career in hip-hop, Penn will be joining the Obama administration as the new associate... More...
July 25, 2008:
Mandate Greenlights Harold and Kumar 3 ![]()
They've gone to White Castle and escaped from Guantanamo Bay, but they aren't done yet: there's a Harold and Kumar 3 in the works. More...
April 24, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Odd Couples Invade Multiplexes
Two new buddy comedies enter the marketplace during the final weekend of the spring box office hoping to cash in on what business is left in the last week before Iron Man flies... More...
October 12, 2007:
Star Trek XI Finds Its Scotty, Sulu
J.J. Abrams' Starfleet roster is quickly filling up.
Hot on the heels of this week's news that Eric Bana has signed on to play the heavy in Star Trek XI, The Hollywood... More...
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