Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

"A peppy, satisfying comedy that could soon become a minor classic.  Desson Howe, Washington Post
"The most gut-bustingly funny movie so far this year.  Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Will seem a classic if you're stoned, and only slightly less funny if you're straight.  Stephen Hunter, Washingto Post
"...Leiner's proudly moronic film embraces its boneheadedness so cheerfully that its lowbrow charms are nearly irresistible.  Angel Cohn, TV Guide
"Smart, goofy and endearing, Cho and Penn make a terrific team...  Chuck Wilson, LA Weekly
"A peppy, satisfying comedy that could soon become a minor classic.  Desson Howe, The Washington Post
"A blissfully silly, character-driven road movie with impressive laugh-per-minute performance specs.  Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
"...an energetic comedy tracing two guys'all-night search for the perfect White Castle burger.  Robert Koehler, Variety
"Will seem a classic if you're stoned, and only slightly less funny if you're straight.  Stephen Hunter, The Washington Post
"Penn's Kumar could become Jeff Spicoli for the generation of college kids who've never seen "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"...  Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Editor's Note Following up his hit DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? writer-director Danny Leiner has come up with the riotous road-trip comedy HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. Harold (John Cho) has graduated college and is now working at a cubicle, where he is abused by other workers and forced to do their jobs for them. Kumar (Kal Penn) is expected to go to medical school to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother, but he'd rather spend his time partying. The entire film takes place in one night, as wild Kumar is determined to get a sack of burgers at White Castle, even though his more staid roommate would prefer to stay home and finish a project for his officemates. While Kumar seeks fun and adventure, lusting after nearly every woman he meets, Harold dreams only of Maria (Paula Garces), the woman down the hall whom he likes but is too afraid to talk to. Harold & Kumar's excellent adventure includes an outrageous bathroom scene in a college; a cop who takes his job way too seriously; a group of extreme, rad dudes who harass Harold, Kumar, and a convenience store manager; LAW & ORDER: SVU's Chris Meloni as an incredibly disgusting possible psycho; and Neil Patrick Harris playing himself, making fun of his Doogie Howser image. In addition to plenty of raunchy--and very funny--references to sex, drugs, and rock & roll, Leiner also takes on stereotypes and the meaning of love.

	Dan Bochart
	Ethan Embry
	Fred Ward
	John Choo
	Kal Penn
	Neil Patrick Harris
	Robert Tinkler
	Ryan Reynolds
	Bruce Douglas Johnson - Cinematographer
	Christopher Ball - Cinematographer
	Danny Leiner - Director
	Greg Shapiro - Producer
	Hayden Schlossberg - Screenplay
	Jeff Betancourt - Editor
	Jon Hurwitz - Screenplay
	Nathan Kahane - Producer

Entertainment Weekly
"They're witty, focused, and highly aware. They make having a brain look hip." 08/06/2004 p.60

Uncut
"[T]he classic inebriated double-act gimmick is smartly updated....Sublime." 10/01/2004 p.148

Los Angeles Times
"John Cho and Kal Penn play off each other with the timing of a veteran comedy team..." 07/30/2004 p.E6

Sight and Sound
"For fans of stoner cinema....Harold and Kumar's escapades could be among the most intoxicatingly pleasurable since Cheech and Chong went UP IN SMOKE. The film's narrative has an appealing looseness..." 12/01/2004 p.50-1

Chicago Sun-Times
"Funny, oddball, goofy, affectionate." 12/31/2004 p.13

Rolling Stone
"A multilayered goof on ethnic stereotypes..." 01/27/2005 p.66

San Francisco Chronicle 7 of 10
"Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,'' from "Dude'' director Danny Leiner, has enough laughs and mi - Carla Meyer

LA Weekly 8 of 10
Smart, goofy and endearing, Cho and Penn make a terrific team, and the fact that they're starring in - Chuck Wilson

Entertainment Weekly 8 of 10
Harold and Kumar share a quality the overgrown adolescents in films like this are never allowed to p - Owen Gleiberman

Reel.com 8 of 10
Coming from Danny Leiner, the director of Dude, Where's My Car?, Harold & Kumar is, not surprisingly, a stoner comedy. What sets this duo apart, though, is the fact that they're likable, funny characters, and fairly smart guys smack in the middle of a fairly goofy movie. They get thrust from one set piece into another--dealing with a rabid raccoon, a drugged-out Neil Patrick Harris, their obnoxious Xtreme Sports neighbors, or snotty Princeton coeds (the movie's one poo-related scene)--when all they really want to do is get their White Castle on. And being of Korean and Indian descent, they catch a little grief along the way for their ethnicity (though the movie never gets heavy-handed with the social commentary)...Without a doubt, Harold & Kumar is some pretty broad (and pretty slight) stuff. At the same time, though, it manages to be good-natured and pulls out some pretty inventive curveballs for the story. The guys' stoned-out quest for White Castle burgers turns out to be a life-changing experience for them, although it probably won't be for the viewer. Still, for an evening on the couch (with or without bong), it's some pretty funny stuff, and may even cause a craving for tiny burgers before it's over. - Jerry Renshaw

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
The summer has been filled with comedies that failed because they provided formula characters, mostly nice teenagers who wanted to be loved and popular. "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," on the other hand, is about two very specific roommates who want to smoke pot, meet chicks and eat sliders in the middle of the night. Because this column is read in Turkey, Botswana, Japan and California, I should explain that "sliders" are what fans of the White Castle chain call their hamburgers, which are small and cheap and slide right down. We buy 'em by the bag...Is a slider worth the trouble leaving home and journeying miles through the night? If you're stoned and have the munchies, as Harold and Kumar are, and if you're in the grip of a White Castle obsession, the answer is clearly yes...Danny Leiner, who directed this film, began his career with "Dude, Where's My Car?" I inexplicably missed that movie, but I laughed often enough during the screening of "Harold & Kumar" that afterward I told Dann Gire, distinguished president of the Chicago Film Critics' Assn., that I thought maybe I should rent "Dude" and check it out. Dann cautioned me that he did not think it was all that urgent. Still another reason our leader's photograph should be displayed in every government office and classroom. - Roger Ebert