As stoner comedies go, well, you could do a lot worse than Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle. It's not a consistent laugh riot by any means, rather hit and miss. But there are enough comedic gems along the way to make it worth your while.
As you would expect from the title the focus of the film is on Harold and Kumar, two stoner friends who in what may be among the simplest plots in movie history, are going to White Castle. That's it, there's your plot. Believe it or not enough things can happen on the way to White Castle to make this a rather entertaining movie. The lead actors, John Cho as serious, straight-laced Asian guy Harold, and Kal Penn as the free-spirited Indian guy Kumar play off each other brilliantly throughout. Both Cho and Penn do a great job of bringing these very different, but in a lot of ways, very similar characters to life. Our "heroes" find themselves in a number of uncomfortable situations and manage to find the comic gold in each of them. Well, most of them anyway. Cho and Penn are supported by a wide array of supporting characters. One of the most notable is Christopher Merloni as Freakshow, a guy who suffice to say is not the most attractive fellow. But really stealing the show by playing against Doogie Howser type is Neil Patrick Harris in an inspired cameo as, well, Neil Patrick Harris. Hey, you never know who you'll meet on the way to White Castle.
Some of the gags may misfire and a few sequences may go on a bit too long but in the end your journey with Harold and Kumar will leave a smile on your face. There's more to like here than there is to quibble with. And at those moments when things do start to drag you can rest assured knowing something better is usually right around the corner. If there is such a thing as a smart stoner comedy, Harold and Kumar is it. Well-written and well-acted...that's generally a winning combination and that is the case here.
As you would expect from the title the focus of the film is on Harold and Kumar, two stoner friends who in what may be among the simplest plots in movie history, are going to White Castle. That's it, there's your plot. Believe it or not enough things can happen on the way to White Castle to make this a rather entertaining movie. The lead actors, John Cho as serious, straight-laced Asian guy Harold, and Kal Penn as the free-spirited Indian guy Kumar play off each other brilliantly throughout. Both Cho and Penn do a great job of bringing these very different, but in a lot of ways, very similar characters to life. Our "heroes" find themselves in a number of uncomfortable situations and manage to find the comic gold in each of them. Well, most of them anyway. Cho and Penn are supported by a wide array of supporting characters. One of the most notable is Christopher Merloni as Freakshow, a guy who suffice to say is not the most attractive fellow. But really stealing the show by playing against Doogie Howser type is Neil Patrick Harris in an inspired cameo as, well, Neil Patrick Harris. Hey, you never know who you'll meet on the way to White Castle.
Some of the gags may misfire and a few sequences may go on a bit too long but in the end your journey with Harold and Kumar will leave a smile on your face. There's more to like here than there is to quibble with. And at those moments when things do start to drag you can rest assured knowing something better is usually right around the corner. If there is such a thing as a smart stoner comedy, Harold and Kumar is it. Well-written and well-acted...that's generally a winning combination and that is the case here.