Harold & Kumar Go to Whitecastle 2004
I remember when Harold & Kumar Go to Whitecastle came out and got a lot of attention, but it didn’t seem that interesting to me. Many years later, Dollar Tree had a blu-ray with the original and a sequel for $1, and the reviews were surprisingly good (Metacritic rating over 60), so I got it. It is pretty short at 90 minutes, which helps. Despite recurring side characters, the plot isn’t complex, just one misadventure after another as two stoners go looking for a White Castle. They aren’t typical stoners, though Kal Penn’s Kumar plays more of a stoner than his more uptight roommate. The movie is extremely low budget, but it keeps things moving with a lot of side characters and setups as things go downhill for these two and their simple quest. There is a little bit of commentary about racial profiling and prejudice, but it is mostly just dealt with, not a main focus. This was more entertaining than I thought it would be, but still not great.
Written: 27 Nov 2020
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital