Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) User Reviews

Hilarious Slacker Humor

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 5 October 2013]

Harold Lee (John Cho) is a meek Asian who gets picked on all the time. He can't even get up the courage to talk to his neighbor Maria (Paula Garcés). Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) is his highly inappropriate slacker roommate who works hard NOT to get into medical school. They get stoned together and feel the need for White Castle.

This is full on slacker humor. The two guys make great comedic chemistry without the usual comedian. Their humor really comes from their friendship. The fact that they're both Asians is almost a side issue except for some ignorant racists characters in the movie. NPH makes a hilarious outrageous cameo.

It's all about the Journey...

[jon.h.ochiai · 8/10 · 8 August 2004]

With the title "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle", how can one not see this movie? Well, one could, and would be missing a very funny movie. H&R is genius creative marketing, and the director Danny Leiner's movie is actually funnier than it's trailer. The movie demographic is probably from 15 to 25-- totally not mine. Written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the story is more hit than miss, with inspired moments and a drugged out cool. Consequently, the humor can be gross out bathroom humor. However, "Harold & Kumar" can be clever funny, and has moments of comic genius. In the beginning, Kumar(Kal Penn) is having a medical school interview, and the dean (a classically clueless Fred Ward) asks him why he isn't already in school with his perfect MCAT scores. Kumar says, "Just because you're hung like moose, doesn't mean you have to do porn." I was rolling. John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold and Kumar have a natural chemistry and are completely charming. Cho and Penn overcome much of the movie's inconsistencies.

Harold (Cho) is the straight Korean guy who works as an associate at an investment bank. Kumar is the free spirited Indian guy, who interviews with medical schools, but never accepts. That way his father keeps supporting him. It's Friday, and one of the partners at Harold's firm dumps a report on Harold, so that he can party with some babes-- unbeknown-st to Harold. The report is due on Saturday. Harold is not having a particularly stellar day.

Kumar wants to smoke pot with his bud, regardless of Harold's deadline. Back at their apartment complex, we meet Maria (a gorgeous Paula Garces), the object of Harold's affection. Harold is in love with her, but has yet to utter a complete sentence to her in their daily elevator rides. So Harold and Kumar smoke weed and watch TV. Then they get the munchies, and thus begins their quest for White Castle-- somewhere in New Jersey.

Give props to Leiner, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg for ignoring political correctness and having fun with stereotypes. Even in this simplistic comedy, this frames the story as the Harold and Kumar evolve-- after the high subsides. The scenes where Harold is giving career advice at a college Asian club meeting or where Kumar is talking with his father and older brother who are both doctors at the hospital are funny, and have an air of authenticity. Also the story plays off the fact that our duo are perceived geeks and are targets of the Extreme Sports Punks.

"Harold and Kumar" has some of the funniest scenes that sometimes blur lines of taste. Regardless, it's funny. In their quest for White Castle burgers and... getting laid, they end up at the home of mechanic Freakshow (an unrecognizable Chris Meloni). The "threesome" encounter with Lianne (the stunning Malin Akerman), Freakshow's wife, is hot and hilarious-- more than the trailer tease which is good. Perhaps, H&K's defining moment is when the high duo ride a cheetah through the woods. You have to see the movie for this. Neil Patrick Harris as himself is awesome. H&K pick the Harris on the road on the way to White Castle. Amazingly, his character is integral to the plot-- really. Harris is having fun playing against his own casting stereotype, and doing it well. He is totally out there.

You can figure out how this all ends. "Harold and Kumar" is not a cinematic masterpiece, but it is a lot of fun. John Cho is a talented reactive actor, some of his expression are priceless. Kal Penn is a great smart guy rebel, and a good actor. The two together are a solid comic team. I would see, for example "Harold and Kumar Go to Disneyland".

A Hilarious Social Satire disguised as a drug-sex romp

[willden21 · 8/10 · 24 July 2004]

Yes this film is rude, crude, over the top, full of choppy editing (probably to ensure an R not NC-17)and sometimes cliché', but it works. Yes there is plenty of Drug Humor and sex humor, but the funniest stuff is actually the on going humor involved with racial inequality and characters who learn how to break those typifications because of their symbolic journey to White Castle. This film pushes the line between being too crude and sometimes too smart for it's own good. The Acting is Right on from the 2 leads and there are quite a bit of funny cameos.

This film is similar to the American Pie films, but substitute the cutesy wootesy sub plots and messages with a realistic and brash message about race and class equality and beating the typifications we in life get tagged with constantly.

The film has plenty of raunchy humor which acts as a great balance to the theme. It does dabble with some stereotypes but the times the stereotpyes are broken especially from Kumar who brings a light fun and jovial spirit to the film and has some of the funniest moments.

At times the editing is so bad, especially when Kumar is peeing by the bush.

The editing ruins a perfectly cast cameo which gets wasted it just ends up making no sense because of obvious excessive cuts.

But overall I found it very very funny, and I did not leave feeling stupid like I did after the funny yet inherently stupid Dodgeball, but left thinking about these social and racial issues. Overall, I left a funny satire with some strong points and ideas that sometimes get overshot but still resonate . . . . a little anyway. Still funny as hell though even if you miss the hidden almost subliminal message within the film.

If stoner comedy has a place in the satire canon, this is one of the best.

[JohnDeSando · 30 July 2004]

If two chicks sitting in stalls playing 'Battleshits' while the two Indian and Asian 'heroes' hide between them suffering the sounds and smells of scatological low humor sounds funny to you, then you should consider seeing 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.' My last stoner movie, the remake of 'Starsky and Hutch,' was indeed Sunday school by contrast.

Director Danny Leiner ('Dude, Where's My Car?') has taken this genre and made a classic, not just because it exploits every possible ethnic stereotype with zeal equaled only by 'Bad Santa's' decimating the Christmas formula. 'Castle' has such fun imitating the roguish good will of the Hope/Crosby road pictures while commenting on the egregious weaknesses of parents and police that almost anyone who doesn't mind a breast or two bared in the name of satire can laugh heartily at modern adult pretensions and youthful indiscretion.

Harold and Kumar are trying to find an all-night White Castle after experiencing the sudden yearning that afflicts almost anyone who has had a 'slider' burger. Like that little square of fat and calories, the pot and girls are just too good not to indulge now and then. The two early twenties students, one a serious stock analyst and the other a lazy pre-med genius, are like Hope and Crosby in their witty repartee and canny ability to escape harm. Being delivered from the wrath of seriously deformed 'Freak Show' and his siren wife doesn't deter them from considering the affections of the battling babes or idolizing Neil Patrick Harris in a cameo playing himself as a lethal womanizer.

More serious is the multicultural subtext about stereotyping (Asians are nerdy number crunchers and Indians are overachieving medical doctors, for instance) overturned by, for instance, morphing a seemingly 'Joy Luck' club gathering into a raunchy party or exposing a gang of mouthy skinheads as 'girliemen.' It's all pop-cult fun at our own expense, something akin to actually enjoying the articles in 'Playboy' even if they weren't our reason for buying the mags.

My grandson Cody and I bonded once again, this time just laughing at the silliness, enjoying the satire, and figuring how we could get his dad to allow his young brother to see it, despite the lurid spots that give spice and lend naughtiness to our increasingly dangerous lives.

If stoner comedy has a place in the satire canon, this is one of the best.

Fast food craving

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 3 January 2006]

Not having seen this film in its commercial run, we caught with it recently when it was shown on cable. Director Danny Leiner has to be credited for the success of this movie. Written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, this comedy about two roommates proves to be a winner.

The film is well paced and it's hard not to like its humor. The movie, in someone else's hands could have turned to be a disaster. Mr. Leiner keeps things under control as he presents Harold and his friend Kumar, who are one of the funniest duos one has seen on the screen in recent memory. Their antics sound so true that there is not a false moment in the film. Their long ride looking for the White Castle to satisfy their craving for some of those tiny burgers after smoking some excellent stuff is full of amazing situations.

John Cho, as Harold, and the irresistible Kal Penn, who plays Kumar, are seen at their best as they are never obnoxious characters like is the case in some other Hollywood movies. A great appearance by Neil Patrick Harris is one of the best moments in the film. The beautiful Paula Garces is seen as the object of these guys' admiration.

Danny Leiner and his creative team and the two stars will have the viewer laughing throughout the film.

Funny stuff man, pass the pipe

[dfranzen70 · 7/10 · 8 April 2005]

Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are a couple of college-educated smart dudes who also happen to love the wacky tobacky. But they're not typical stoners, either; Harold is an investment banker, and Kuman is a medical whiz whose father is trying to get into med school. So although they're lovable losers who just wanna get high, the boys aren't complete slackers, either.

The movie deals with the duo's journey one evening to White Castle and the various wild (and increasingly unlikely) events that befall them during their travels. Funny thing is, most people can probably relate to this, putting aside the drug portion of the program. You remember your college years, right? Didn't you ever take a road trip somewhere, just on a whim? You could, back then. Sure, you'd think nothing more of trekking up to Niagara Falls, 14 hours away, for a weekend. You didn't have responsibilities back then, so it was cool.

Anyway, when Harold and Kumar discover that the White Castle burger joint they thought was nearby has been gone for five years, they decide to drive 45 minutes to lovely, elite Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where the closest WC resides. Along the way, they stop off at Princeton University to try to score weed and hot babes, run into surf punk jerkos who harass them at every opportunity, take the police on a wild chase, get incarcerated, bust out of jail, and even meet Neil Patrick Harris, he of the long-gone Doogie Howser show.

All in one night.

It's a justifiably ludicrous scenario, and yet its implausibility is what works so strongly for it. For crying out loud, they ride a cheetah! They hang glide! Just the anticipation of What Might Happen Next is enough to keep all but the most apathetic of viewers from giving a rat's buttocks.

Through all the chaos, Harold and Kumar don't always see eye to eye - just like in real life. Each fights the other from time to time, with blame for their current predicament being concentrated like rage in an anarchist. But though they're bickering and sniping, we know that Harold and Kumar will be there for each other through it all and will - we fervently hope - survive the night to feast on White Castle hamburgers and fries.

There are a few reasons that this movie might not appeal to everyone. There are drug references. There's nudity. There's profanity. And there's the fact that zillions of people have never even heard of White Castle, let alone had one of its famous (infamous?) burgers. White Castle burgers are known for their small size and affordability, making them favorites of college kids. Hey, you can buy a SACK of White Castle Sliders. How cool is that? A sack of burgers! Cho and Penn are appealing as the titular duo, charming but not self-aggrandizing. Doubtless a lot of people watched the movie and said to themselves, "Dude! I know that guy!" And indeed I did. I knew a guy who's a dead ringer for Kumar. Absolutely down to every fiber of his personality. So for me, the movie was pleasantly familiar.

Do Harold and Kumar make it to their Shangri-La, their Mecca, their holies of holy lands, White Castle? Well, maybe. But as perhaps they could tell you, it's the puff that's the most fun, not the exhaling.

Latest reviewing tainted my good memory

[doyoubelieveingod-39954 · 7/10 · 1 July 2021]

So, before I begin I would like to state for the record that for a very long time I would have considered this an 8 or 9.

I'm in the middle of maybe the 7th viewing since first watching this about 12 years ago. This movie nails a lot of what it goes for and, yes, should be considered for the stoner canon of films. It could have been the next Cheech and Chong if the leads wanted that. I even somewhat liked the sequel, though it was a noticeable decline in quality.

...Heavy spoilers to follow...

However, what stuck out this most recent viewing was just how many of my favorite moments are similar to other classic bits done ibefore. This latest viewing I had realized when they got to Newark early on, it was hitting the same spot as National Lampoon's Vacation. Before I had noticed the similarity to the bush peeing bit (featuring Jamie Kennedy) to There's Something About Mary, and (more egregiously) the raccoon in the car being similar to the deer bit in Tommy Boy.

Now I am not alleging that this film plagiarized any of the mentioned film, and understand that some of the similarity may be my own pattern recognition. But it does make me question my enjoyment, and if some weight is being carried by other things I already liked. Just a bummer.

But this film does a lot right and is funny throughout. I still enjoy the viewing experience and I can't hate it.

There is also some problematic language that hasn't aged the greatest. Contextually, I think it's thematically justified, but I think if it was made today it wouldn't belabor it as much. Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, still funny and relevant. Worth the watch, or rewatch, but I'm not as in love with it as I once was.

Jim Blesener and Cat Stevens Go to Black Shack

[MaxZorin · 9/10 · 31 July 2004]

I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. Being a fan of White Castle and the talents of John Cho and Kal Penn, this movie was a sure fire hit. Normally I would think a script about two stoners on a quest for White Castle sliders would be boring, if not retarded, material... but this movie just works.

Let's face it - the stoner angle may not appeal to everyone, but their quest is just too good/funny to pass up. There are more wacky moments than most "buds hit the road" comedies can muster. Imagine Neil Patrick Harris (NPH!!) playing himself - well, he flippin' does here, in a very funny, if slightly disturbing, role. The comradeship between John and Kal is fantastic. They'll probably remind you of two old buds from college - or maybe even hit closer to home.

I'm not sure if it's the great delivery by John/Kal, maybe the writing, or a both - this movie is really a great time. The whole theater was laughing - I haven't heard that in A LONG TIME. Did "Bruce Almighty" do that? No. Did "Envy" do it? Hell no. Did "50 First Dates" do it? Ummm, no.

Bottom line - this is a good movie that actually delivers the laughs.

So now this generation has, it's own Airplane.

[simpsjd · 7/10 · 1 August 2004]

One thing can be certain; people who did not enjoy this film either are to `PC' or have not embraced the concept of mindless humor. This is with out a doubt the new Airplane of the new millennium where racial comedy and the `you can't say that attitude' are left by the way side so we can watch two friends in a campy adventure. John Cho and Kal Penn have excellent screen presence and their ability to play off of one another is what gave them staying power through all three pie moves. One of the best parts about this film is the cameo appearances and tie-ins to motion pictures of the age and cult following. Leaving no gender, race, or stereo-type out the film rages with reckless abandon on the audience and with in moments you find your self laughing through your hand covered mouth and by the end of the second real you can't help but laugh aloud. Danny Leiner is great at telling this story with honesty to the characters and not letting even their own epiphanies stand in the way. Not to mention Neil Patrick Harris' performance epitomizing the child actor gone bye, bye. This is an honestly funny film with very little to think about, pushing the social limit on the `PC' attitude.

Hilarious Stoner Comedy...Everything "Dude Where's My Car" should have been

[[e-mail] · 9/10 · 9 September 2004]

"Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle" is an amusing, hilarious comedy not to be taken too seriously and not to be dismissed as just another silly stoner comedy. Certainly there are plenty of elements which appeal to those dophamine, "good times" movie-goers, yet there are also some classic instances of comedic greatness. Aside from chronicling two inane potheads on a quest to satisfy their appetites, "White Castle" offers a great coming-of-age and funny coincidence premise, which reminds us of the heavy, sadistic curveballs life hurls at us, sometimes when we merely desire something simple and cannot attain it. Here is a story of a simple goal by two simple minds: to find a White Castle hamburger joint and fulfill the lasting effects of "the munchies". Yet, as these two stoner friends come to realize, even the seemingly simplest of goals in life can be impossible to achieve, due to such disturbances as irony, circumstance, error, and misfortune, as they are all encountered in this journey. The comic elements are listless: stoner instinct-gone horribly awry, catastrophic error, not-so-pleasant raunchy surprise, near-death escapes in the most unlikeliest of ways, and the eventual finesse of overcoming all obstacles to finally enjoy a binge at a hamburger joint. This is a fresh, original, and satisfying comedy, and though it is nothing of a brilliant production or a cinematic masterpiece, there are plenty of the elements here which constitute for a barrel of laughs and a genuinely entertaining experience at the movies. ***1/2 out of ****

You can't dismiss that craving feeling!

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 17 May 2006]

An Indian-American med student Kumar and his roommate an Asian-American investment banker Harold go on a night road trip after smoking some dope to feed their craving hunger for some White Castle burgers, which was advertised when they were watching TV. On their way to White Castle - Harold has got some of the boss's work to finish off by the following morning and Kumar has got an interview for a possible job aspect the next day. But both of them didn't plan on the night to be filled with many out-there adventures and humorous obstacles stopping them from getting to their preferred destination.

Why don't you roll us up another one, dude! Welcome, to the new potheads of this generation! I'm fan of Cheech and Chong, but now the mantle in this new age has moved on to some far more intelligent and rather outcast buddy stoner's - Harold and Kumar. I say they are worthy of it too. It comes to no surprise that the director Danny Leiner made the even more stupider and whacked out film "Dude Where's My Car". Here Leiner repeats some of that goofiness, but the circumstances have changed around and it's a far more better effort. Maybe the story and it's high-jinks were not heavily populated with drugs or even entirely centred on it (say like most of Cheech and Chong's flicks), but it compensates that with its break-neck pace, mellow soundtrack and with a whole range of humorous gags. Some were just so politically incorrect, while others were filled with stoner humour, or they were just so crassly, infantile. But the main thing about this film is that it just plain stupid fun that parodies a lot of stereotypes and putting a spin on it to its advantage. While providing us with a couple of likable stoner's who have a lot more things on their mind, but their main priorities on this outing are some dope and White Castle. The story as it goes is simple; there on their way to White Castle, but a whole lot of small episodes sidetrack them before they get there. So, the plot is thin and it treads a familiar path like many teen comedies do, but really it doesn't matter too much because there are plenty of adventurous and comical situations that work out (like that of the "extreme" jocks) than actually misfire. Well, actually there's a small sub-plot involving Harold having a thing for his neighbour Maria that adds something else to the table. Really it's all about a bunch of ripe characters and ludicrous scenarios. Another factor that keeps this above the usual fluff is the highly witty, self-aware script that adds a fresh outlook with the irony of every situation seeming to find its way into the frame. Plus having a pair of protagonists who have a bit more brains and a strong friendship in nice change to the formula of the teen format. John Cho and Kal Penn's chemistry is perfect and they are sensational in their parts as the uptight and focused Harold and then you got happy-go-lucky Kumar. The supporting roles also have some funny moments from David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jamie Kennedy, Neal Patrick Harris and Fred Willard. And Paula Garces is gorgeous in her small part as Maria.

There's not too much behind this film, but I found to be a pleasing piece were no one is safe from this distasteful onslaught. Enjoyable hokum that you can't help but get the munchies.

Unbelievably funny - The smartest 'dumb' movie I've seen in years

[filmbuffette · 10/10 · 31 July 2004]

The movie is absolutely hilarious. It's light years beyond Dude Where's My Car?, or for that matter any stoner/dumbass flick I've seen in years. This will be a cult comedy classic, one you watch ten times till you know all the words.

How many times do you get to see someone so excited over a giant bag of marijuana that he dances slow-motion in circles with it, then marries it, then bitch-slaps it because it served him bad coffee, then sobs and hugs it, crying, "I love you honey!"? (This is a dream sequence, and uh it's funnier that it sounds.)

Or this description of seeing Katie Holmes topless: "You know the holocaust? It was, like, the complete opposite of that, man!"

Or when a med school admissions officer asks one of the lead characters, who has a perfect score on the MCATs, why he doesn't want to be a doctor. "Just because I'm hung like a moose doesn't mean I have to be a porn star!"

Classic cult hit

[tony-clifton · 7/10 · 28 June 2006]

This movie is a classic, right up there with Office Space, Dumb and Dumber and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Wonderful movie that everyone with a healthy sense of humour should see!

What is refreshing to see is people being people. I know people exactly like Harold and Kumar - they are very real people, and it's sad that this movie is a "satire" when it's really the norm. America should learn that race doesn't matter - it's a person's culture that matters. A person's culture determine's his behaviour. All I see are some American stoners. I do not see a "Korean" and an "Indian".

I think one of the reasons why people find this movie so entertaining is precisely because these racial stereotypes are broken, and people are surprised that a movie that doesn't have anglo-saxon-centric actors can in fact be hugely entertaining.

You must be THIS HIGH to watch this movie...

[maskatuoklis · 1/10 · 5 November 2005]

I don't get it. Really. All the jokes in this movie are well... seen, bland and NOT funny. Even the infamous "Scary Movie 2" is better than this. Adventure ? Way much worse than also one of the lamest movies ever made - "Dude wheres my car ?". Scenario ? Morals ? Action ? All of them make no sense.

Maybe it's one of those movies that only Americans can understand (and maybe laugh ?), but for the rest of the world, I believe, it should look like one of the worst movies ever. I still watch at the rating 7.1 and contemplate how this could happen.

Seriously, if this movie is good, then Van Wilder should get an Oscar.

Take a break from your hecktic work life, and see this film and laugh your head off.

[mack3175-1 · 6 August 2004]

This movie is enjoyable only if you don't try to take it seriously. It was bust a gut laughs from start to finish. Next to DodgeBall, I would say this was tied as the funniest film of 2004. It starts out with Harold(John Cho) an overworked and very passive guy, who has a crush on the beautiful Maria(Paula Garces, remember her from ClockStoppers and T.V.'s Guiding Light). Harold has a best friend and roomate named Kumar(Kal Penn) who rather be stoned, then get a job. One night decide to go to White Castle fast food place. Then begins an unenjoyable night, where thing that could go wrong, really do. That is all I'm gonna say. Get ready to laugh your head off. It was quite edgy. But for some people, don't see it, if you get easily affended.

Very dumb & very funny

[allmoviesfan · 7/10 · 10 November 2023]

John Cho and Kal Penn are fantastic as Harold and Kumar, two stoners who decide they're going to smoke some weed and drive to their local White Castle. They want those sliders and nothing else is going to suffice.

That's the entire plot of the film - simple and effective.

Of course, their journey is far from a smooth one, and there are all sorts of outrageous scenes involving racist cops, a dude called Freakshow (brilliantly played by Christopher Meloni of "Law and Order: SVU" fame), a racoon, a dude who pees close to other dudes and a bleach-blonde Neil Patrick Harris playing himself. It was hard, at times, not to laugh out loud.

Dumb? Yes; mind-numbingly so at times. Funny? Absolutely; outrageously at times. Well worth your time.

Full of laughs

[moivieFan · 7/10 · 12 March 2023]

I have seen Harold & Kumar go to white castle I don't know how man times. But, I have watched it in probably 9 years until I watched it again today. And it still makes me laugh.

I have watched all three Harold and Kumar movies. I am not sure which one is my favorite.

My favorite character in this movie is the one Neil Patrick Harris is as himself. His character made me laugh years ago and his character still makes me laugh.

Two scenes that made me laugh are a scene near the beginning when Kumar is being interviewed by Fred Willard. When Kumar talks on his cellphone and Fred Willard is shocked at what he is hearing and dumps his coffee in his lap. Fred Willard was so funny.

The other scene I liked a lot is towards the end of the movie when Harold is in jail and Kumar Breaks him out. Its the scene where Kumar smells the big bag of pot and then there is a dream sequence where Kumar and the bag of weed get married. That was a funny scene.

I also enjoyed listening to the sound track of this movie.

For me Harold and kumar go to white castle was full of laughs. Its one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. And I still like it after all these years.

One truly will have a high old time with this.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 28 March 2012]

It's appreciable that writers Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg and director Danny Leiner are among those keeping the stoner comedy alive and kicking in the 21st century. It stars the personable, and genuinely funny, pair of John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold and Kumar, two fun loving guys who inevitably get the munchies after getting high, deciding that White Castle will be their destination for the night. As the viewer might expect, on their way to the ultimate meal they will experience one setback after another, in the tradition of misadventure comedy such as "Adventures in Babysitting" and "License to Drive". Episodes include their meeting with Neil Patrick Harris, playing a crazed, perverted version of himself, their having to improvise like mad when they're mistaken for doctors, their encounter with a character named "Freakshow" (a memorable Christopher Meloni), their repeated confrontations with a punk gang who use a certain word EXTREMEly frequently, and other assorted escapades. Heavily satirical as well as rude, crude, and outrageous, one can see that there's more going on here than just lowbrow comedy (and it does get very low, as witness the "battle *beep*" sequence in the washroom), as it pokes merciless fun at stereotyping. Leiner, cast, and crew take an amazing "everything and the kitchen sink" approach to their wild and witty movie, throwing in things like animation and utter nonsense involving a possibly rabid raccoon. The soundtrack is full of catchy tunes and the pacing is consistently effective. A few cameos add to the fun factor; in addition to Harris, we get to see Fred Willard, Anthony Anderson, an uncredited Jamie Kennedy, Ethan Embry, and Ryan Reynolds; other familiar faces include David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Shaun Majumder, and Boyd Banks, with lovely Paula Garces and Malin Akerman as Maria and Liane, respectively. There's even a message about learning to stand up for oneself, and having confidence, in the end. One can't help but feel good for our leads when things go their way and laugh at the misfortunes they endure. Cho mostly plays straight to the more zany Penn, but they both earn a nice number of laughs with their performances. All in all, this is a decent diversion that always manages to come up with some great bits of business and is anything but boring. Seven out of 10.

Funniest movie I have ever seen.

[userscreenname · 10/10 · 30 July 2004]

It is no exaggeration or flattery when I say this movie is the funniest movie I have ever seen. I haven't laughed so much at a movie since.... never, seeing how this is the funniest movie I have ever seen. What a great combination, a Korean guy and an Indian guy, both stereotypically known to be intellectually advanced. What was great about this movie was that they tackled modern day stereotypes and showed the stupidity in exploiting them. Also it showed the other side to these two minorities which is usually purposely ignored. This movie, as you see from the trailer, is about two guys who have the munchies and all they want is to go get some White Castle fast food. But this movie does not fall in the same category as Half Baked or How High; this is not another typical stoner film. It does not base its humor solely the idea of getting high, this movie is able to find humor in more then just that. Take the best comedic part of every movie you have ever seen and just combine them all together to make this one hilarious film. I personally, being Indian found much humor in this movie, along with something else, a little pride in the fact that this movie did not portray the lead Indian guy to be just another book worm with a heavy accent. I really enjoyed this film. Definitely worth a second, a third, and fourth watch, and then some. Don't worry my not so Indian, white friend, sitting next to me, got just as much a kick out of it as well. I don't know how many times I have to say it for it to sink it, but one last time, this movie is the funniest movie I have ever seen, it is hilarious!

It was fun and silly

[MLDinTN · 7/10 · 26 July 2005]

This had some laughs and was OK. It's about 2 ethnic potheads who must eat at White Castle. So they drive all over the place with one misadventure after another. Harold gets attacked by a raccoon; they keep meeting up with these bullies; Doogie House steals their car; Harold gets arrested after a run in with a jerk cop; they go to Princeton only to have a run in with hot chicks in a bathroom that is stank. The one part that was too absurd and should have been left out was them riding a cheetah. I mean they happen to run into a cheetah in New Jersey!

There's also a funny scene involving Kumar treating his bag of weed like a wife. And the Doogie Houser subplot was funny, especially when he's giving them $200 and telling them why.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like raunchy comedies, you'll like this.

This is either one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen or one of the funniest

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 8/10 · 7 April 2008]

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, in 2004 just from the title, I never wanted to see this movie, it just sounded so incredibly stupid and a waste of good film. But on Bravo a few months ago they had this movie on it's top 100 funniest films of all time and also they're not releasing the new sequel in a month, so I figured what do I have to loose? Just go ahead and give the movie a chance, so I rented it yesterday and watched it today, I hate to say it, I couldn't stop laughing. I mean from beginning to end this movie is just so unbelievably funny, I think it's because it doesn't take itself seriously and the actors just have so much fun with it. Kenn Pal and John Cho have a great chemistry for the buddy relationship of Harold and Kumar, not since Bill and Ted has been such a great stoner move.

Harold and Kumar are two friends who are about to enjoy their Friday night getting high, they get the munchies and are looking for the ultimate satisfying food: WHITE CASTLE. So they go on a trip to the local White Castle where they are disappointed to find out that the White Castle is closed, so they have to travel across town to get their craving. But the night is still young from emergency surgery to chilling with the cheetah's, from Neil Patrick Harris stealing their car to hang gliding, this is the ultimate night just to get the perfect square hamburger.

Seriously Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. I couldn't believe how much I laughed out loud during this film, I think I have to join in with the fans on this movie. I just loved everything about this film except for the potty humor, that's always for me a huge turn off, but I got over it because this was just a fun movie. The script, the actors, the fantasy with the weed and Kumar was just beyond hilarious. I loved Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and highly recommend it, don't take it seriously, just have fun.

8/10

The Cheech and Chong of this generation

[Tenchi64589 · 7/10 · 11 August 2004]

Forget all the reviews that say, "This movie sucks" or "Don't waste your money." This movie rules!

I'll admit that I haven't watched very many movies like this since the painfully terrible, "Dude, where's my car?" and compared to that, watching this made me choke on my own laughter. (Yes, it's that good!)

I'm not high myself, but it seems that every time I watch a movie like this, I seem to get the munchies just by watching.

My advice to all the bashers of this movie: lower your standards, drive around to scramble your mind and check this out... I have already.

10 out of 10

Brilliant and Underrated - Not just a "stoner comedy"

[fishy1999 · 10/10 · 19 March 2005]

This movie was absolutely great. I've watched it about 5 times now over the past few weeks. For all those that love The Big Lebowski, this movie will make a lot of sense. There are loads and loads of memorable lines in the film. Even more interesting was the interesting metaphors about race relations, immigration and assimilation in the US. It seems to me that White Castle (not, in my view, randomly selected as the munchie destination of choice) represented that idealized destination that all those pursuing happiness and the American Dream seek out. A telling moment is where Harold and Kumar, before getting to White Castle, see their Jewish friends Goldstein and Rosenberg happily enjoying their hotdogs in another fast food joint. They gaze longingly at their two friends and Harold says "I want what they have". He elaborates that he means having exactly what you want, not hot dogs per se. You could argue that this was a metaphor for Asian-American and Indian-American first or second generation immigrants looking to Jewish-Americans as examples of a group that came to the US and managed to be admitted to the "White Castle", to assimilate and to ultimately attain the American Dream. I could be way off about this, but it's clear that immigration, assimilation and race-relations is a prominent theme throughout the film. Bottom line, the film is both hilarious, meaningful, and memorable.

Whitecastle burgers. Damn.

[monkeyboy12121-414-225890 · 7/10 · 12 July 2012]

When i first saw this film, i absolutely wet my pants. This film is hilarious but is crude. Harold and Kumar has a pretty good plot for a stoner film but also has actual characters and are not paper thin.

Harold is a hard working Asian accountant and Kumar is a genius slacker who does more sleeping than working but both have one thing in common, and that is that they like smoking weed. The film does have a steady pace from start to finish but does verge on ridiculous towards the end.

I really enjoyed the jokes and plot lines running through the film and one of the highlights of the film is that NPH or neil patrick harris plays himself as a hard drinking womanising playboy and is hilarious! He really knows how to make an audience light up and is never really disliked at any point in the film.

However some parts of the film i didn't like is the fact that there are some extreme points in the film which verge on ridiculous but could be down to the fact that the characters may actually be high.

Overall: If you like comedies then you have to watch whitecastle and its sequel Guantanamo bay. However the Xmas film does not live up to the first two. The characters are likable and NPH is great. But be weary of some of the more ridiculous parts of the film if it doesn't float your boat.

Most overrated film of 2005

[padason · 1/10 · 3 January 2005]

Last night I had the misfortune to sit through what is an absolutely terrible film.I guess if I didn't like EVERYBODY involved in the picture, I may not have been so critical. A previous poster inquired as to what non-Americans thought of the movie.I am European and saw the film,American cultural references aside, as truly woeful. A series of poorly executed " comedic" spots that culminated in the incredibly tired ethnic comedy act that is "whitey is the devil" punchlines. I do not understand how this film is rated 7.7!?. Have any of you seen Mortal Combat II Annihilation with the "animality". Thats how bad this was. Damn it, I really wanted to love this movie and am so disappointed. one thing I have learned is if they thought Ashton and Sean would do a sequel to Dude(or even assumed this was the sequel), they can forget about it. If any studio gives money to garbage like this they deserve to go bust. 1G as we say over here