Regular sidekicks John Cho and Kal Penn take over the spotlight in a refreshing comedy that tackles issues of ethnicity and racial stereotypes while still maintaining a high score on the laugh-a-minute counter.
The movie combines "below the belt" jokes and social commentaries, in a kind of Office Space meets American Pie meets Road Trip adventure.
*Possible Spoilers*
Two pot-head roommates, a Korean-American investment banker and an Indian-American med school applicant, decide, after getting the "munchies", that what they need to "hit the spot" is a White Castle feast. They then embark on a New Jersey-wide adventure during which they meet, among others, "Extreme Sports Punks", their neighbors (two Jewish pot-heads, one of whom is played by Eddie Kaye Thomas--American Pie's Finch), a disgruntled White-Castle-loving Burger Shack employee (played by Anthony Anderson), a "wife sharing" auto mechanic named Freakshow (played by an unrecognizable Christopher Meloni of Law & Order SVU fame), a racist abusive disturbed cop, and many other delightful characters... including a sex-crazed "NPH" (Neil Patrick Harris, playing himself).
While containing the usual teen comedy gross out elements (cf. Dude Where's My Car, Van Wilder, American Pie, etc...), "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" adds a new dimension to the usual comedy. Stereotypes are now reversed, and white Americans are now the sidekicks. Some scenes are fairly bitter sweet, and actually achieve a surprisingly more "intellectual", or more "ethnic-oriented" overtone. Some of the jokes will be better understood by the Asian viewer, others by New Jersey inhabitants, while many will appeal to all viewers.
All in all, thumbs up to director Danny Leiner who, in this reviewer's humble opinion, has redeemed himself (cf. Dude Where's My Car). Although still part of mainstream comedy, "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is closer to a Kevin Smith movie than an American Pie. It will be interesting to see if this movie is the first of a trend of comedies featuring Asian Americans as the main protagonists.
The movie combines "below the belt" jokes and social commentaries, in a kind of Office Space meets American Pie meets Road Trip adventure.
*Possible Spoilers*
Two pot-head roommates, a Korean-American investment banker and an Indian-American med school applicant, decide, after getting the "munchies", that what they need to "hit the spot" is a White Castle feast. They then embark on a New Jersey-wide adventure during which they meet, among others, "Extreme Sports Punks", their neighbors (two Jewish pot-heads, one of whom is played by Eddie Kaye Thomas--American Pie's Finch), a disgruntled White-Castle-loving Burger Shack employee (played by Anthony Anderson), a "wife sharing" auto mechanic named Freakshow (played by an unrecognizable Christopher Meloni of Law & Order SVU fame), a racist abusive disturbed cop, and many other delightful characters... including a sex-crazed "NPH" (Neil Patrick Harris, playing himself).
While containing the usual teen comedy gross out elements (cf. Dude Where's My Car, Van Wilder, American Pie, etc...), "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" adds a new dimension to the usual comedy. Stereotypes are now reversed, and white Americans are now the sidekicks. Some scenes are fairly bitter sweet, and actually achieve a surprisingly more "intellectual", or more "ethnic-oriented" overtone. Some of the jokes will be better understood by the Asian viewer, others by New Jersey inhabitants, while many will appeal to all viewers.
All in all, thumbs up to director Danny Leiner who, in this reviewer's humble opinion, has redeemed himself (cf. Dude Where's My Car). Although still part of mainstream comedy, "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is closer to a Kevin Smith movie than an American Pie. It will be interesting to see if this movie is the first of a trend of comedies featuring Asian Americans as the main protagonists.