Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (on DVD)

2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is funny, funny, FUNNY! Harold and Kumar are the modern day odd couple of Asian descent. While getting stoned on some marijuana, Harold and Kumar are transfixed by a White Castle commercial on TV and determined to get some of those delicious burgers. Their quick night run to the fast food joint is side tracked by their search for some more weed and, of course, turns into an overnight adventure where they encounter an array of bizarre characters. From the beginning to the end, this movie will keep you in stitches. The occasional crude humor fits well with the movie’s general over-the-top comic style. After seeing this movie, I am sure kids’ game Battleship will have a new meaning for you. Screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg brilliantly choose to portray two Asian Americans as the main characters. One may have a preset notion of what Asian Americans are like; Harold and Kumar are well aware of that stereotype. They invariably fall into that trap from time to time while constantly struggling against being typecast by outsiders. A lot of the laughs come from their teetering on the borderline of those conventional conceptions. The movie features a series of cameo performances by recognizable faces. The best of them has to be Neil Patrick Harris playing Neil Patrick Harris. Don’t expect Doogie Howser here. It is NPH at his comic best and more in line with his current sitcom character in CBS’ How I Met Your Mother. No wonder all the critics think NPH is the best thing on that show. When Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle first came out in the theaters, it got little publicity. I suspect the studio did not know how to market a comedy with two unknown Asian American leads, but thanks to DVDs, there is life after theaters. Be sure to rent this movie. It is simply too funny to miss.