Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

A part of me wonders whether the 'Stoner Movie' has reached its used by date. Well, maybe they have, maybe they haven't, or maybe this was just one of the really bad ones. Okay, you did have the classic Stoner Movies of the 80s and 90s, including Bill and Teds (which, while they are clearly stoners, doesn't have them smoking drugs), and these days you have copious amounts of marijuana appearing on our screens, but the whole concept of a couple of drug users going on a trek to get some food can be a little dull – and this is basically what this movie is about: two stoners go on a quest to get some food.Honestly, I'm not too thrilled about this film, especially with the characters. Sure, Harold was okay, but his so called best friend, Kumar, is one of those guys that is clearly a bad influence. It is almost as if we want to slap Harold about the face, tell him to snap out of it, and to actually go and find some decent friends. Sure, while it is the case that business people do take drugs, Harold really didn't come across as one of those drug user types. In fact it seemed as if he was completely out of place, and completely out of character.The other thing about this film is that it is one of those T&A movies (and I'll let you work out for yourself what that means since IMDb does have a word filter on it). Sure, I've seen plenty of those types of films in my time, but in reality there really isn't all that much to be said about the excess exposure of flesh in some of these films. Also, the film was so predictable, which added to its blandness. In a sense, while it was a low budget film, it really wasn't one of these films that I would recommend going out of your way to see because it isn't entertaining, it isn't funny, and it really isn't all that enjoyable.

Harold and Kumar are the Cheech and Chong of the new generation. But the dynamic between the likable characters elevates "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" above the typical stoner comedy.Harold is an accountant who takes the brunt of "positive" Asian-American stereotypes, namely that they're all good at math. He is serious and bookish, but enjoys getting high on the weekends. Kumar is Harold's Indian-American roommate and polar opposite. Getting high is a way of life for Kumar, and he plans to float through life on his dad's money.On one fateful Friday night, the two heroes have the munchies and are determined to get their fix at White Castle after seeing a TV commercial. The nearest White Castle is a good 45-minute drive, providing you know the way. The two stoners predictably get lost and have a series of quirky late-night adventures as they stray off the beaten path, which include encounters with a Jesus freak straight out of "Deliverance" known as Freakshow, frequent run-ins with a gang of "extreme" skateboarders, and Neil Patrick Harris (TV's Doogie Howser, M.D.). One of my favorite scenes is a fantasy sequence in which Kumar imagines his life with a giant, walking sack of weed.The movie is stylish and makes good use of what appears to be a relatively low budget of $9 million ($20 million would be modest for a comedy)."Harold & Kumar" has a lot of good laughs, including both situational humor and playing on racial stereotypes. The racial humor is funny without getting too offensive or preachy. But the movie ultimately works because of the character development. Even with their flaws, Harold and Kumar are both likable characters that the audience can root for. Character change drives good fiction, and the viewer is happy to see Harold learn to assert himself and Kumar decide to grow up.While "Harold & Kumar" is not a great film by any stretch of the word, it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do, which makes it effective.

I've never really been into 'stoner' movies mainly because of me not being one myself. But after stumbling across the 'Harold & Kumar' films on an IMDb list, I thought 'hey ho' lets give it a try. God am I happy that I did, this movie is one of the funniest and easy to watch films I have ever seen! Starting off with the two pals getting stoned in their apartment and then getting a major case of the munchies they starting arguing about where they're gonna eat shortly after their argument they see a very American advert for a fast food place known as 'White Castle.' So being as roasted out of there heads are they were they decided to set off to 'White Castle!' Which doesn't turn out to be as easy as they thought it would be. Meeting red necks, runaway cheetahs, crack head celebrities and a couple of girls, this movie is a great film to sit down and watch with the lads, or even just by yourself if you are looking for an easy to watch film which will make you laugh and defiantly make you wanna set out on a road trip of your own.

Lol! This movie has lot of laugh aloud moments that I should give it a thumbs up.Kal Penn as Kumar and John Cho as his friend, Harold Lee give decent performances. Kal Penn is really funny while John Cho is OK although they do have good on screen chemistry and hit off as a comic duo.Was surprised to see the hunk Ryan Reynolds in a miniscule, insignificant role but this was still the time of his career where he didn't have much success yet. Even Neil Patrick Harris(Doogie Howser fame) had a trashy role although he did a fine job. Maybe Ryan & Neil did the movie as they're best buddies of Kal Penn....The visual effects in some places were unintentionally funny and there's no logic in few other scenes. Yet the movie still gives you a nice viewing time because it's still hilarious overall.Verdict: An ideal movie to lighten up your mood, period.