Harold & Kumar: Difference between revisions
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In ''[[Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle]]'', Harold is a hard-working stoner from the northern part of [[New Jersey]]. Harold's best friend and roommate, free spirit, Kumar Patel, is not afraid to let go of his inhibitions, making Harold the symbolic personification of the suppressed Asian-American employee and student in the United States. Harold, at times, lets go of his inhibitions, but only during moments of extreme duress, to the point where he amazes even the free-spirited Kumar. Harold is the yin to Kumar's yang, with the both of them being united through their enjoyment of cannabis smoking after a long day's work and or leisurely fun (such as aboard an airplane in the sequel, and an after work "Friday night special" in the first film). |
In ''[[Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle]]'', Harold is a hard-working stoner from the northern part of [[New Jersey]]. Harold's best friend and roommate, free spirit, Kumar Patel, is not afraid to let go of his inhibitions, making Harold the symbolic personification of the suppressed Asian-American employee and student in the United States. Harold, at times, lets go of his inhibitions, but only during moments of extreme duress, to the point where he amazes even the free-spirited Kumar. Harold is the yin to Kumar's yang, with the both of them being united through their enjoyment of cannabis smoking after a long day's work and or leisurely fun (such as aboard an airplane in the sequel, and an after work "Friday night special" in the first film). |
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Harold's romantic life centers around [[John Hughes]]-like fancies (as is evidenced by his infatuation with film classics such as ''[[Sixteen Candles]]''). Harold thinks that he'll wind up with a similarly repressed Korean-American young woman--Cindy Kim--who isn't as repressed as he thinks, ironically enough. The true object of Harold's desire, however, is Maria Quesadilla (played by [[Paula Garces]]), who lives down the hall from him in his building. |
Harold's romantic life centers around [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]]-like fancies (as is evidenced by his infatuation with film classics such as ''[[Sixteen Candles]]''). Harold thinks that he'll wind up with a similarly repressed Korean-American young woman--Cindy Kim--who isn't as repressed as he thinks, ironically enough. The true object of Harold's desire, however, is Maria Quesadilla (played by [[Paula Garces]]), who lives down the hall from him in his building. |
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In ''[[Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay]]'', when embarking on their trip to Amsterdam they are arrested on the flight there because of Kumar testing out his "smokeless bong" in the airplane lavatory, followed up by being sent to Guantanamo Bay---only to be followed by another series of comedic events. In one of the flashbacks Kumar has, it is revealed that Harold used to be an [[Emo]] back in college. |
In ''[[Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay]]'', when embarking on their trip to Amsterdam they are arrested on the flight there because of Kumar testing out his "smokeless bong" in the airplane lavatory, followed up by being sent to Guantanamo Bay---only to be followed by another series of comedic events. In one of the flashbacks Kumar has, it is revealed that Harold used to be an [[Emo]] back in college. |
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Revision as of 13:34, 9 September 2010
| Harold & Kumar | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster to the first film | |
| Directed by | Danny Leiner (1) Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg (2-3) |
| Written by | Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg |
| Produced by | Greg Shapiro |
| Starring | John Cho Kal Penn |
| Cinematography | Bruce Douglas Johnson Daryn Okada |
| Edited by | Jeff Betancourt Jeff Freeman |
| Music by | David Kitay George S. Clinton |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema Warner Bros. |
Release dates | July 30, 2004 (1) April 25, 2008 (2) TBD (3) |
Running time | 190 minutes Unrated versions: 196 minutes |
| Countries | Template:FilmUS Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9,000,000 (1) $12,000,000 (2) $21,000,000 |
| Box office | $23,936,908 (1) $43,493,123 (2) $67,430,031 |
Harold & Kumar is a stoner comedy film series starring John Cho and Kal Penn. The first film was released on July 30, 2004, by New Line Cinema, and spawned a sequel, released four years later.
The two films, produced on a total budget of US$21 million, grossed $67.4 million worldwide. Critics have given the films mostly positive reviews. The series has been released on both Blu-ray and DVD.
Series
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
Harold Lee and Kumar Patel are two stoners who get the munchies and embark on a quest throughout New Jersey for White Castle burgers after seeing a TV commercial for the same. On their way they encounter many obstacles, including a gang of extreme sports punks, a raccoon with an attitude, a group of Asian nerds, an unlikely married couple who are Jesus freaks and sex seekers, a racist police officer, a cheetah which has escaped from a zoo, and an out-of-control Neil Patrick Harris.
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
Immediately following the events of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold Lee and Kumar Patel fly to Amsterdam so Harold can pursue a budding romance with his vacationing neighbor. Upon arrival at the airport, Kumar creates trouble while going through security in order to get weed on the plane. The pair run into Vanessa, Kumar's ex-girlfriend, and her fiancé Colton, another old college buddy who helped Harold get his job at Brewster-Keagan, at the airport. Harold and Kumar board the plane, and mid-flight, an old woman sees Kumar lighting his new invention, a smokeless bong. She mistakes it for a bomb, and screams "Terrorist!", causing the passengers to be alerted to Kumar holding the bong. After a mis-communication between "bong" and "bomb", undercover air marshals tackle Kumar; he drops the bong on the floor, which breaks and emits a pleasant-smelling, though visible, gas, prompting another passenger to scream "Poison Gas!" Air marshals tackle them and order the plane to return to Washington D.C., where Ron Fox, the neurotic Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, sends them to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Just before they are forced to eat a so-called "cockmeat sandwich" or perform fellatio, they escape and sneak into Florida with the help of some Cuban refugees. They go to see a friend of theirs, Raza, who is hosting a bottomless party and he encourages them to travel to Texas in search of Colton, with hopes that he will be able to help them through his father, who is connected with several high political officials.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas 3D (2011)
Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have announced plans to write and direct a third Harold & Kumar film, Greg Shapiro will return as producer with Kal Penn and John Cho expected to return in their title roles.[1][2] In April 2009, Kal Penn accepted the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in the Obama administration; when asked if his new job would mean no more Harold and Kumar films, he said "That's probably true for now".[3]
A new film entitled A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas was announced on May 7, 2009, for release on November 5, 2010.[4]
David Krumholtz, answering the last question of a Live Q&A Chat on TV.com that took place on March 12, 2010 at 11am PT, mentioned that he and Eddie Kaye Thomas will probably be in the third Harold & Kumar film.
I do believe we will be in H&K3
Kal Penn has officially left his job with the White House as of June 1, 2010 to reprise his role as Kumar in the third Harold & Kumar installment. The film, originally expected to be released in November 2010, is currently being filmed with an expected release date in the 2011 holiday season.[5]
Neil Patrick Harris will also return for the film which he recently confirmed on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, He goes as far as saying he finished filming and that the movie will be released in 3D. Patton Oswalt has been confirmed to also star in the film. [6] Also starring in the film are Paula Garcés, Danneel Harris, Bobby Lee, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Lennon, Danny Trejo, Amir Blumenfeld, David Burtka, Fred Melamed, and Richard Riehle.[7][8][9]
Characters
Harold Lee
Harold Lee is a Korean American investment banker residing in New Jersey. The character was created by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and is portrayed by John Cho in both films.
In Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold is a hard-working stoner from the northern part of New Jersey. Harold's best friend and roommate, free spirit, Kumar Patel, is not afraid to let go of his inhibitions, making Harold the symbolic personification of the suppressed Asian-American employee and student in the United States. Harold, at times, lets go of his inhibitions, but only during moments of extreme duress, to the point where he amazes even the free-spirited Kumar. Harold is the yin to Kumar's yang, with the both of them being united through their enjoyment of cannabis smoking after a long day's work and or leisurely fun (such as aboard an airplane in the sequel, and an after work "Friday night special" in the first film).
Harold's romantic life centers around John Hughes-like fancies (as is evidenced by his infatuation with film classics such as Sixteen Candles). Harold thinks that he'll wind up with a similarly repressed Korean-American young woman--Cindy Kim--who isn't as repressed as he thinks, ironically enough. The true object of Harold's desire, however, is Maria Quesadilla (played by Paula Garces), who lives down the hall from him in his building.
In Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, when embarking on their trip to Amsterdam they are arrested on the flight there because of Kumar testing out his "smokeless bong" in the airplane lavatory, followed up by being sent to Guantanamo Bay---only to be followed by another series of comedic events. In one of the flashbacks Kumar has, it is revealed that Harold used to be an Emo back in college.
Kumar Patel
Kumar Patel is an Indian American student residing in New Jersey. His family includes his father and brother, Saikat Patel. The character was created by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and is portrayed by Kal Penn in both films.
In Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Kumar Patel is a 22-year-old Indian-American college graduate. He shares an apartment with fellow roommate and best friend, Harold Lee. Unlike Harold, Kumar is free spirited and outgoing, not afraid to do what he wants. Kumar is the yang to Harold's yin, with the both of them being united through their enjoyment of cannabis smoking after a long day's work and or leisurely fun (such as aboard an airplane in the sequel, and an after work "Friday night special" in the first film). Both his father and brother are successful doctors, and expect him to follow in their footsteps. Though not interested in school, Kumar is remarkably intelligent and knows how to perform complex surgical procedures, as shown in the film while looking for medicinal marijuana at the hospital.
In Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, it is revealed that he had a girlfriend, Vanessa, in college, who introduced him to marijuana and transformed him from an uptight geek into the laid-back stoner he is today. She is about to get married to sleazy, deceptive frat boy Colton Graham (who disapproves of her marijuana habit), but Kumar interrupts the wedding and wins her back by reciting "Square Root of 3", a love poem about math that he was afraid to show her in college. Harold, Kumar and Vanessa then go to Amsterdam to find Harold's love interest, Maria.
Neil Patrick Harris
Both films feature Neil Patrick Harris playing a fictionalized version of himself. In the films, Harris is portrayed as a heavy drug user and womanizer, despite being openly gay in real life. In an interview with Ain't It Cool News, Neil Patrick Harris revealed that the series' writers were discussing the possibility of a spin-off movie based on his fictional persona. [10]
Rosenberg and Goldstein
Rosenberg and Goldstein were created by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and portrayed by Eddie Kaye Thomas and David Krumholtz.
Two Orthodox Jewish friends of Harold and Kumar. Having been friends since college, they live in the same apartment building as Harold and Kumar.
There has been discussion of them getting their own spin-off movie, which would follow the characters during the events of the original film (theoretically titled Rosenberg & Goldstein Go to Hot Dog Heaven).[11] The duo is based on the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from the Shakespeare play, Hamlet.
References
- ^ Harold and Kumar 3 Announced
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2008-07-24). "'Harold & Kumar' set for third puff". Variety. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Monez, Mindy (2009-04-07). "'House': The Truth Behind the Shocking Surprise". Television Without Pity, Yahoo! TV. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ "It's Going to be a 'Very Harold and Kumar Christmas'". MTV Movies Blog. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ "Kal Penn Leaving Washington to Reprise Role in Harold & Kumar".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Neil Patrick Harris Will Return For A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas". The Film Stage. June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/07/a_very_harold_and_kumar_christ.html
- ^ http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/07/07/danny-trejo-more-joining-a-very-harold-kumar-christmas/
- ^ http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100707006536&newsLang=en
- ^ Ain't It Cool News: Quint chats with Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris! Possible NPH spin-off movie?!? And a tidbit on STAR TREK![1]
- ^ IMDB trivia entry for Harold & Kumar[2]