Running time: 88 minutes
Starring: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris
Rating 7 out of 10
Directed by the maker of Dude, Where's My Car, Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies is the latest stoner movie to come out of Hollywood. The fact that it's funnier than Dude indicates that not everyone was stuck to their hash pipe during the making of the film, and two winning central performances coupled with an extremely silly script will make it hard for even the most obstinate viewer to resist.
Harold and Kumar are two roommates who seem like sensible family boys on the outside, but spend all of their spare time getting high. Harold is a stressed out junior banker, while Kumar is a more laidback former student, doggedly trying to hang on to normal life before his father forces him to go to medical school. The fact that Harold is Asian-American and Kumar Indian-American is unusual by Hollywood standards, and John Cho and Kal Penn use the experience they gained in films such as American Pie and National Lampoon's Van Wilder to create characters that transcend their race.
As with any movie of this kind, the premise is not hard to follow. The two buddies decide to get high and go in search of a White Castle burger, a brand that has few outlets in the U.S. but is loved by fast food freaks (the film's American title is Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle). Along the way they learn a few lessons about life and love, but most of the time they get involved in scrapes that are consistently funny. They crash college parties, get arrested, wreck various cars, meet several girls, and end up with Doogie Howser in the back of their car.
Yes, that Doogie Howser. Actor Neil Patrick Harris gives an amusing turn as a jumped-up and brattish version of himself, who at one point commandeers their car and turns out to be nothing like his sweet on-screen persona. While not all of the jokes in the film work, this is one of the highlights, and fits in nicely among the farting and gay gags that otherwise pervade the script.
If you're in search of intellectual stimulation, then the world of Harold and Kumar is definitely not the place to be. On the other hand, if you are prepared for ninety minutes of often hilarious and well-observed humour, you could do a lot worse. And if the Cheech and Chong style of green comedy is your thing, you'll be in stoner heaven.
Paul Hurley
Harold and Kumar are two roommates who seem like sensible family boys on the outside, but spend all of their spare time getting high. Harold is a stressed out junior banker, while Kumar is a more laidback former student, doggedly trying to hang on to normal life before his father forces him to go to medical school. The fact that Harold is Asian-American and Kumar Indian-American is unusual by Hollywood standards, and John Cho and Kal Penn use the experience they gained in films such as American Pie and National Lampoon's Van Wilder to create characters that transcend their race.
As with any movie of this kind, the premise is not hard to follow. The two buddies decide to get high and go in search of a White Castle burger, a brand that has few outlets in the U.S. but is loved by fast food freaks (the film's American title is Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle). Along the way they learn a few lessons about life and love, but most of the time they get involved in scrapes that are consistently funny. They crash college parties, get arrested, wreck various cars, meet several girls, and end up with Doogie Howser in the back of their car.
Yes, that Doogie Howser. Actor Neil Patrick Harris gives an amusing turn as a jumped-up and brattish version of himself, who at one point commandeers their car and turns out to be nothing like his sweet on-screen persona. While not all of the jokes in the film work, this is one of the highlights, and fits in nicely among the farting and gay gags that otherwise pervade the script.
If you're in search of intellectual stimulation, then the world of Harold and Kumar is definitely not the place to be. On the other hand, if you are prepared for ninety minutes of often hilarious and well-observed humour, you could do a lot worse. And if the Cheech and Chong style of green comedy is your thing, you'll be in stoner heaven.
Paul Hurley
