"It does have one thing on its side: It's freakin' hilarious, man." Kathy Cano Murillo ARIZONA REPUBLIC "A well-paced and extremely funny yuk-fest that never takes itself too seriously -- and neither should you." Frank Wilkins REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS "A celebration of the rights of all people from all races, creeds and beliefs to have equal access to the best-damned burger Americans can fry up! " Dan Jardine CINEMANIA "A peppy, satisfying comedy that could soon become a minor classic." Desson Thomson WASHINGTON POST "A distinct entry in the pantheon of stoner comedies; the “what the hell?” moments are so insanely conceived that they’re often really funny." Mark Palermo COAST HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA

"You'll enjoy this a whole lot more if you hit on a joint before you enter the theatre. There's a s..t load of fun in this film which takes just about every prejudice known to man and makes a total mockery out of every single one of them. Loosen your belt for a belly load of gut busting, side splitting laughs. Totally insane dudes!" Marty King THE MOVIE PAGES "Made me laugh loud and often as much if not more than any other movie I’ve seen this year." Kevin N Laforest MONTREAL FILM JOURNAL "The funniest road trip comedy since Todd Phillips's 'Road Trip.'" Harvey S Karten COMPUSERVE "This is a hilarious, fever-dream of a road-trip movie." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "It's a delightful surprise that Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is so hilarious for pretty much all the reasons it should be so predictably brainless." Ted Fry SEATTLE TIMES

At A Glance

"It's what a stoner comedy should be. It's what a buddy comedy should be. Two for the price of one sure as hell ain't bad . . . the funniest thing I've seen in months." .... Brian Mckay EFILMCRITIC.COM

It seems somewhat obscene to say that "at last Hollywood has produced a teen flick with real adult appeal", but it is true. It also makes a refreshing change for the many adults who normally avoid these films like the plague. Usually, when one is faced with the task of reviewing a film in the teen genre, it is with a mixture of trepidation and foreboding. Unlike many of the establishment critics [who only view films at media screenings], I prefer to see my films with an audience. In fact, as many readers know, I may see a film at a media screening, follow it up at a preview screening and then take it in again at a public session, before I post a review. And let me make it abundantly clear, I am not remotely interested in what other critics or reviewers think about a particular movie. When it came to the prospect of another teen flick, it seems I was not the only one feeling a little hesitant. "Dude, Where's My Car" director Danny Leiner, who was approached by producers Nathan Kahane and Greg Shapiro evidently didn't want to read the script. He didn't want to like the script. Leiner says he "was hesitant to take on another broad comedy and was looking for a different type of project as his next film." But [and isn't there always a 'but'], "ultimately, he was convinced to give the script a read and found himself instantly hooked." So what was it that changed his mind? "I was sucked into it's vortex and laughed out loud for the first time in a long time," Leiner said. And, as he says, there was more to the story than just a lot of laughs. He discovered the story had real heart. "It's a big silly comedy, but you just have to love these guys," he says. "Harold and Kumar are sweet characters you want to pull for. On top of that, the script has great messages about how people perceive themselves and each other in terms of race and stereotype, all without banging the audience over the head." Coincidentally, I reached the same conclussions after seeing the film. Which means I'm either a pretty clever fellow, or, just a bum who got lucky. I'd prefer to think the former, readers. No, truly, I did. There is a lot of heart in this film and I have to give credit when it's due. Another thing I loved about "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" is the way it tackles racism, drugs and sex head on. In "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" it's all handles with sensitivity and conviction. "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" is more than just hamburger hunger it's about taking that journey which finally has you standing on your own two feet. Harold and Kumar do. "Both Harold and Kumar go through this journey and confront issues in relation to their perception of self and also how others perceive them," Leiner says . "Kumar, who has been avoiding becoming a doctor his whole life because everyone else in his family is one, realizes through the journey that he's good at it and he likes doing it, so why shouldn't he do it?" While that may sound a bit too serious for some, let me remind you that this is a comedy with so many laughs. "It's just comedy, and I think what we're doing is dismantling stereotypes because it's showing how, no matter what goes on, we all want the same things," says "American Pie trilogy star Eddie Kaye Thomas. "And we all go through the same crap. I think it's actually great in that sense; it shows that as many stereotypes as there can be, it's all the same. Just looks different." Thomas, who had worked with John Cho on "American Pie" says Cho [who plays Harold] and Penn [who plays Kumar] make a great comedy team "In the same sense that Cheech and Chong are just a great comedy team like Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy, John and Kal work incredibly well with each other and can just bounce off each other." As an 'oldie', one performer I enjoyed watching in this outrageous comedy was the instantly recognisable Fred Willard. "I think what's going to make this movie funny is the irreverence," he said . "Young adults are going to be attracted to it because every college kid knows that someday he's going to have to look for a job and he's going to run up against someone like my character in this movie. And what Kumar is doing is what every kid would like to be; bright enough to get the job, but he just tells the interviewer that he doesn't really want the job." The interview segment had the audience I was sitting with, laughing heartily. An audience I might point out included a group of twenty asian movie fans who obviously loved every minute of the film. Yet, while I was the only living audience member over the age of twenty five, I found everything as funny as they did, including the infamous 'toilet' segment. Those wondering what the White Castle Burger Chain thought of the film will be interested to find out that in May this year they "inducted John Cho, Kal Penn, director Danny Leiner and writers Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg into the White Castle Craver's Hall of Fame in their homebase of Columbus, Ohio. The White Castle Hall of Fame was created four years ago to honor individuals that demonstrate a willingness to go "above and beyond" to satisfy their cravings for the unique taste of White Castle. It would be difficult to find anyone who goes more above and beyond than Harold and Kumar!"
Footnote: White Castle opened their first Hamburger joint in Wichita, Kansas. The year? 1921. The business, which is still privately owned, was started by Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram and J Walter Anderson. Anderson is credited with inventing the hamburger bun in 1916. Way back in 1921, hamburger mince was considered low grade meat. The first thing Ingram and Anderson did was to ensure fresh deliveries twice a day and they moved the preperation/ cooking area to the front of their shop. This way everyone could see how pure the meat was and how careful they were in preparing their burgers. White Castle set a trend when it introduced paper hats to cover the hair of it's employees working in food preperation. They patented the product and even manufactured their own product. Another inivation they introduced was to place five holes in their beef patties. It allowed for better cooking. White Castle also uses their own terminology to describe their products. Burgers are called Slyders and fries are known as Spikes. Today White Castle operates 350 restaurants in three countries. White Castle is based in the USA with stores there and in Japan and Malaysia. They are currently growing at a rate of twenty stores per year. Crew Bytes "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" was .......
directed by Danny Leiner ["Dude, Where's My Car?"]; screenplay by Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg ["Filthy"]; original music by David Kitay ["Look Who's Talking", "Clueless", "Scary Movie" and "Dude, Where's My Car?"]; production design by Steve Rosenzweig ["The Wedding Banquet", "Tree's Lounge", "Animal Factory" and "Layin' Low"]; edited by Jeff Betancourt ["Star Maps", "The Good Girl", "Get Over It" and "Opposite Sex"]; cinematograhpy by Bruce Douglas Johnson ["Drowning Mona", "The Prophecy", "Cadillac Ranch" and "Happy Texas"]; costume design by Alex Kavanagh ["Ginger Snaps: The Begginning", "Ginger Snaps: Unleashed" and "Nothing"] produced by Nathan Kahane ["Trapped" and "Angel Eyes"] and Greg Shapiro ["The Rules Of Attraction", "Investigating Sex", "Simpatico" and "Affliction"]. Casting About "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" stars .......
John Cho ["Bug Fat Liar", "American Beauty", "Solaris" and "American Pie I, II & III"]; Kal Penn ["Van Wilder Party Liason", "Malibu's Most Wanted", "American Desi" and "Love Don't Cost A Thing"]; Paula Garcés ["Clockstoppers", "Marci X", "Life With Mikeu" and "Dangerous Minds"]; Sandy Jobin-Bevans ["Dawn Of The Dead"]; Neil Patrick Harris ["Undercover Brother", "Starship Troopers", "The Next Best Thing" and "Clara's Heart"]; Fred Willard ["Waiting for Guffman", "Best In Show", "A Mighty Wind" and "American Pie III" ]; Malin Akerman ["The Skulls", "The Circle" and "The Utopian Society"]; Siu Ta ["Urge"]; David Krumholtz ["Santa Clause 2", "The Mexican", "Sidewalks Of New York" and "Liberty Heights"]; Eddie Kaye Thomas ["Taboo", "Freddie Got Fingered", "Harvest" and "American Pie I, II & III"]; Anthony Anderson ["Romeo Must Die", "Big Momma's House", "Me, Myself & Irene", "Barbershop", "Cradle 2 The Grave", "Scary Movie 3" and "My Babby's Daddy"] and Christopher Meloni ["Runaway Bride", "Twelve Monkies", "Junior" and "Wet Hot American Summer"] as Freakshow. The Story

"The most gut-bustingly funny movie so far this year." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST

Harold and Kumar have a craving. A craving for a White Castle slyder and nothing, no nothing is going to stop them making the trip to their local burger store. Imagine their disappointment when they discover it closed down years ago and has been replaced by a Burger Shack. No worries, there's another White Castle just 45 minutes away. What starts out as a simple trip becomes an a real life adventure as Harold and Kumar face all sorts of obstacles and diversions in their quest to get that burger meal. Along the way they encounter an over the top, corrupt police officer; beautiful but flatulent twin sisters; a freaky tow truck driver; a nerdy drug dealer; a horny housewife; a television personality looking for some action and an escaped cheetah. Will they ever make it to White Castle? The Verdict "You'll laugh your tits off at this one. Funny? It's down right hilarious. Outrageously over the top, "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" is the funniest teen flick I've seen all year. Adults who have a warped sense of humour or who love comedies that are anti- establishment, should not overlook this offering from the director who brought us "Dude, Where's My Car". Well worth a look at!" The Cast

John Cho Kal Penn Malin Akerman Anthony Anderson Boyd Banks Dan Bochart Steve Braun Steven DiTata Ethan Embry Paula Garcés Jon Hurwitz Sandy Jobin-Bevans Kate Kelton Jamie Kennedy David Krumholtz Bobby Lee Christopher Meloni Ryan Reynolds Hayden Schlossberg Siu Ta Eddie Kaye Thomas Dov Tiefenbach Robert Tinkler Fred Willard Gary Anthony Williams Brooke D'Orsay Neil Patrick Harris Mike Sheer Dan Warry-Smith

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Harold Kumar Lianne Burger Shack Employee Gun Shot Victim Extreme Sports Punk #1 Cole Extreme Sports Punk Billy Maria Tony Officer Palumbo Christy Creepy Guy Goldstein Kenneth Park Freakshow Male Nurse Hayden Cindy Kim Rosenberg Hippie Asshole J D Dr Woodruff Tarik Clarissa Neil Patrick Harris 'I'm So High' Kid Clerk at White Castle

The Crew Directed by Danny Leiner Written by Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg Produced by Nathan Kahane & Greg Shapiro Original Music by David Kitay Cinematography by Bruce Douglas Johnson Special Cinematography by Christopher Ball Film Editing by Jeff Betancourt Casting by Cassandra Kulukundis Production Design by Steve Rosenzweig Art Direction by Bob Sher Costume Design by Alex Kavanagh Special Makeup Effects Artists Allan Cooke & Matthew Galliford Special Makeup Effects Designer Paul Jones Production Manager Kevin Lafferty Run Time 87 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - New Line Productions - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved