Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
| Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Danny Leiner |
| Written by | Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg |
| Produced by | Nathan Kahane Greg Shapiro |
| Starring | John Cho Kal Penn |
| Cinematography | Bruce Douglas Johnson |
| Edited by | Jeff Betancourt |
| Music by | David Kitay |
Production company | Senator International |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date | July 30, 2004 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $23,936,908 |
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (alternatively known as Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies) is a 2004 American stoner film, the first film in the Harold & Kumar series. The film was written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and directed by Danny Leiner.
The story follows Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) as they decide to go to the fast food chain White Castle after smoking cannabis, but end up on a series of comical misadventures when they cannot find the restaurant.
The film also features Fred Willard, Paula Garcés, Anthony Anderson, Dan Bochart, Ethan Embry, Jamie Kennedy, Bobby Lee, Christopher Meloni, Ryan Reynolds, Shaun Majumder, David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Malin Åkerman, and Neil Patrick Harris, who plays a fictionalized version of himself.
Plot
Investment banker Harold Lee (John Cho) is persuaded by his colleagues Billy and JD to do their work as they leave for the weekend. Elsewhere, Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) attends a medical school interview at the behest of his father but intentionally botches it to avoid gaining a place. Arriving home, Harold meets his neighbor Maria (Paula Garcés) but is unable to admit his feelings for her. After smoking marijuana with Kumar and seeing an advert for White Castle, the pair decide to get hamburgers to satisfy their hunger. Traveling to the location of the nearest White Castle, the pair find it has been replaced by "Burger Shack" but are informed that there is another White Castle in Cherry Hill.
When Kumar begins to become sober, he suggests stopping at Princeton University to buy marijuana. Kumar buys marijuana from a student named Bradley (Dov Tiefenbach) while Harold deals with the attention of Korean students admirable of his job. After smoking more marijuana together, Harold and Kumar are discovered by a campus security guard and forced to flee, losing their bag of marijuana. While the guards chase the pair, they discover Bradley's own marijuana and have him arrested. Harold and Kumar resume their drive, and Kumar pulls over to urinate. He leaves the car door open, allowing a raccoon to sneak in. It bites Harold, who convinces Kumar to take him to the hospital, where Kumar's father and brother work. Kumar steals ID badges from his father and brother to obtain medical marijuana, but is mistaken for his brother and forced to perform surgery on a gunshot victim. The patient tells them how to reach White Castle and the pair continue their journey.
On the road, Kumar spots Maria. He decides to get her attention so Harold can talk to her, but Harold panics and presses the accelerator, causing the car to crash into a ditch. They are rescued by Randy, a heavily-disfigured tow-truck driver nicknamed "Freakshow". He takes them to his house to repair their car and says that they can make themselves at home and have sex with his wife. Harold and Kumar are propositioned by Freakshow's wife but after Freakshow suggests a foursome, Harold and Kumar flee. Noticing a hitchhiker along the road, Kumar decides to stop and pick him up. The hitchhiker is Neil Patrick Harris, who is high on Ecstasy. When Harold and Kumar head into a convenience store to get directions, Harris drives away in Harold's car. Attempting to hit Kumar in anger, Harold accidentally punches a racist police officer and is arrested.
In jail Harold sees Bradley being released and his stash confiscated. Kumar fakes a 911 call to draw the police away before breaking into the station to free Harold. As the police return, Harold and Kumar again flee, taking Bradley's stash. The pair encounter an escaped cheetah and, after smoking marijuana with it, ride it. Harold and Kumar find a hot dog restaurant and see their neighbors Goldstein (David Krumholtz) and Rosenberg (Eddie Kaye Thomas) eating hot dogs and looking happy. Harold decides he wants the feeling of satisfaction from achieving their goal. After encountering a group of sport punks who routinely harass the pair, Harold and Kumar steal their truck. A police officer spots the speeding truck and gives pursuit. They briefly elude the officer but become trapped at the edge of a cliff. Spotting the White Castle below, Harold and Kumar use a hang glider from the truck to reach their destination. The pair place their orders but find they have no money. Harris appears, apologizes for his actions and provides them with cash for their meal and for repairs to Harold's car.
Kumar realizes he wants to be a doctor, but is afraid of conforming to the stereotype of Indians becoming doctors. As Kumar is talking Harold notices his co-workers pull up with two women and becomes angry because they said they had to work with clients that night but in reality were out partying. He berates them for leaving their work to him, and threatens to get them fired and humiliated if they do it again. After returning to their apartment building they encounter Maria in the hallway, waiting for the elevator. Harold professes his love for her and they kiss. She informs Harold that she is leaving to visit Amsterdam but that they will talk when she returns. Kumar convinces Harold to go with him to Amsterdam to pursue Maria, reminding him that marijuana is legal in the Netherlands.
Cast
- John Cho as Harold Lee: A young Korean-American man working at his first job in investment banking.
- Kal Penn as Kumar Patel: A second generation Indian-American whose family thinks that he will become a doctor like his father and brother.
- Paula Garcés as Maria Quesa Dilla: Harold and Kumar's neighbor, on whom Harold has a crush.
- Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris, a fictionalized portrayal of himself.
- David Krumholtz as Goldstein
- Eddie Kaye Thomas as Rosenberg
- Anthony Anderson as the Burger Shack Employee
- Siu Ta as Cindy Kim
- Dov Tiefenbach as Bradley
- Ryan Reynolds as the Male Nurse
- Christopher Meloni as Freakshow
- Malin Åkerman as Liane, Freakshow's wife
- Gary Archibald as Nathaniel Brooks
Release
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $5,480,378 in 2135 theatres in the United States and Canada. In total it had a worldwide gross of $23,936,908.[1]
The film was positively received by critics, with a 73% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 143 reviews. The consensus is "The likable leads and subversion of racial stereotypes elevate Harold and Kumar above the typical stoner comedy."[2][3]
Sequels
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is the 2008 sequel to White Castle. The movie revolves around Harold and Kumar trying to get to Amsterdam to find Maria, but when the two are mistaken for terrorists on the plane, they are sent to Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Both Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have announced plans to write and direct a third Harold and Kumar movie, with Greg Shapiro returning as producer, and Kal Penn and John Cho expected to return in their title roles.[4][5]
References
- ^ "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved 2006-08-24.
- ^ "Harold and Kumar official site". Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ "Harold and Kumar 3 Announced".
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2008-07-24). "'Harold & Kumar' set for third puff". Variety. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
External links
