Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

2004 "Fast food. High times."
7| 1h28m| R| en| More Info
Released: 30 July 2004 Released
Producted By: New Line Cinema
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Nerdy accountant Harold and his irrepressible friend, Kumar, get stoned watching television and find themselves utterly bewitched by a commercial for White Castle. Convinced there must be one nearby, the two set out on a late-night odyssey that takes them deep into New Jersey. Somehow, the boys manage to run afoul of rednecks, cops and even a car-stealing Neil Patrick Harris before getting anywhere near their beloved sliders.

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DogesAreTheBestDogs America has a dark history regarding segregation and white supremacy. People often think of segregation in the past tense; however, racial discrimination is still an imminent problem. Under the command of America's new president, immigrants are racially profiled and face losing some of their rights. With the recent cases of police brutality regarding African Americans, it is clear that US still has a problem with racism. Because racial profiling is a controversial topic, many movies do not wish to address this problem. Although Danny Leiner's "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" addresses the racial discrimination that still occur in America, it uses strategically placed comedy to make the movie approachable by all races. The first scene of the movie shows a Korean American, Harold, working in a cubicle. The movie then pans to show two Caucasians conspiring to rid themselves of their work. One Caucasian says "those Asians just love crunching numbers" to justify forcing Harold to do their work. They threaten Harold and he , afraid for his job, takes on the extra workload. In the first scene, the viewer is introduced to this idea of discrimination in the workplace. The acts of the white males were unfair and unjust, but because Harold was a minority, the Caucasians felt that he would be submissive to them. If Harold was a fellow Caucasian, the white men could not have passed down their work onto him. At the end of the first scene, the two Caucasians are seen hopping onto their convertible, located near the office building, and rushing off. Harold, angry with his inability to stand up, decides to go home. Harold's car, an old Toyota sedan, is parked in the furthest possible parking space. The office scene finishes with Harold slow walking to his car. This scene was hilarious, but still addressed the fact of white supremacy in the work force. Harold, who does his own work, owns a old Toyota while the while males that do not work as hard own a convertible. This car scene shows that immigrants are under paid and because of their inability to stand up for their rights. Harold and Kumar smoke weed and got the munchies, so they decide to go to White Castle to buy burgers. They need to take a road trip, and along the way, they decide to stop at Princeton to meet some of Harold's friends and get more marijuana. The movie shows the stereotypical nerdy and studious Korean student. Harold and Kumar were invited to a party hosted by the Koreans. Thinking that the party would be lame, they decide to ditch the party. As they were leaving, they see that the Korean party was "lit." The movie is trying to break the stereotypes that society has placed on certain races. After a series of events, Harrold is arrested and is in jail with an African American, Tarik Jackson. When Harold asked Tarik why he was arrested, Tarik responded, "for being black." Tarik was peacefully reading at Barnes & Nobles, but there was a robbery in Newark, and because he was black, the police officers thought he was the robber and arrested him. Tarik did not resist arrest or show any aggression, but the police officers abused him and did not treat him as a human.Police brutality is a serious problem in the United States that has only recently made headlines in the news. Police and society have associated crime and violence with the African American community and find it easier to accuse them of crimes. Tarik is very calm about his situation and when he is asked to why, he says: "People have been messing with me my whole life. I learned a long time ago that there's no sense getting all riled up every time a bunch of idiots give you a hard time." The movie breaks the stereotypes society has placed on African Americans. Any human being with a sense of pride would get angry at the police officers for their harsh treatment, but Tarik is not violent at all. He is calm and is not violent. When Kumar breaks Harold out of jail, Tarik is in the corner reading a book. The officers return to see Harold escaping, but instead say "Jackson's trying to escape," and call his book a gun. Tarik is raising his hands and has his knees on the floor, but the officers say he is resisting and start to hit him with their sticks. The movie shows the viewer the hardships African Americans face even in this time and age. The color of their skin makes them discriminated against and second class citizens with no human rights. Throughout the movie, the viewer sees Harold and Kumar as immigrants, but as the movie comes to a close, we see that their actions are those of Americans. The idea of road trips and eating burgers is American. The trip to White Castle was not just about getting burgers, but was about fulfilling the American Dream. Their "parents came to this country, escaping persecution, poverty and hunger. . . . they wanted to live in a land that treated them as equals." The idea that everyone has an equal chance in America resonates strongly inside both Harold and Kumar's hearts. The movie ends with Harold and Kumar fulfilling their American Dream. The movie uses comedy to destroy the stereotypes society has placed on certain racial and ethnic groups. The movie address the serious problems that America still faces, but uses comedy to make the movie more approachable. Harold confronts the two Caucasians from his work and tells them off. His speech shows his transformation from a being a nerdy, quiet Asian to a high spirited American that stands up for his rights. A simple story of two men getting burgers, turned into a story of fulfilling the American Dream.
slightlymad22 I seem to have missed the joke with this type of comedy, as someone who doesn't dabble in drugs, I find movies like this Hard to relate to.Plot In A Paragraph: Harold Lee and Kumar Patel are two stoners who end up getting the munchies. What they crave the most after seeing a TV advertisement, is a trip to White Castle. So from here, follows a journey for the burgers they require. On their way they will encounter many obstacles.Neil Patrick Harris is brilliant in his cameo as a horny Neil Patrick Harris, he is the best thing in this movie. He truly sent himself up, and is a lot of fun, although his time on screen is only brief, the one thing I have remembered from the movie is him.
zardoz-13 Actors John Cho and Kal Penn play a pair of contemporary stoners in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" who experience such a craving for White Castle hamburgers after they smoke pot that they put their lives on the line to find the nearest franchise. They encounter a number of obstacles on their freaky, buddy road trip comedy. Our heroes tangle with a raccoon, a couple of hot babes who play a different form of 'battleship,' a group of redneck sports extremists, straddle a cheetah and ride it through the woods after dark, and are stranded after Neil Patrick Harris steals their car. During most of its nimble 88 minutes, "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle" is a whole lot of dumb fun. Unlike many destination movies, our heroes do reach their destination and munch out. John Cho plays Harold Lee and he works for accounting firm, while Kumar Patel is attends a number of university admission interviews. Harold is the straight guy in that he is constantly serious, whereas Kumar is the clown who will do anything stupid. If you're searching for a lowest common denominator saga that you don't have to think about, "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" is good. There are several memorably funny scenes like the animal semen scene and the toilet scene.
manjodude 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.