Harold and Kumar Blaze Stereotypes
Intelligent Stoners Embark on Journey to Sliders and Self-Discovery
Released in 2004, "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" reveals insights about the characters and American society and takes the average stoner comedy down in flames.
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004), released a year before Judd Apatow burst onto the scene with The 40-Year-Old Virgin, proves that people were making smart and genuinely funny comedies before Apatow came along. Judd Apatow is deservedly larger than life right now, which is why his name pops up so much. In fact, check out his take on the stoner comedy in 2008's highly anticipated Pineapple Express.
Harold, Kumar, and Judd Apatow
Apatow's films (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) and Harold & Kumar share intimate character studies, unflinching humanity, hilarity stemming from honesty, and huge hearts. Harold & Kumar also contains that magical raunch factor so integral to Apatow's films, its purpose being to shock puritanistic America out of its conservative slumber. These films make sex a normal part of life, which it is, and which American society tries to pretend it isn't.
Genre Mania
Apatow aside, Harold & Kumar has earned the right to stand on its own as a bonafide comedic masterpiece. Directed by Danny Leiner, co-written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and starring John Cho (Harold) and Kal Penn (Kumar), this film reinvigorates three genres simultaneously: the stoner flick, the buddy film, and the road movie. There have been many movies made about and for potheads, but this is a film for everyone. It's a great story with endearing, compelling characters. Sounds simple, yet so many filmmakers forget this formula.
Opposites Attract
Harold and Kumar are the classic, comically mismatched duo, like Felix and Oscar, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in Some Like It Hot, or any 80s movie featuring one white cop and one black cop (sad, yet prolifically true). They're buddy opposites, and thus complements. Harold is a quiet, obsessive, uptight pushover, while Kumar is a loud, horny, reckless loafer unwilling to grow up and get a job. They share two important things in common, though. They're both geniuses, and they're both victims of ethnic stereotyping.
Take That, Stereotypes
The filmmakers play with these stereotypes (Asians are good at math, all Indians should be doctors). What's great is that Harold (Korean) really is great with numbers and proud of it, and Kumar (Indian), though reluctant, really does possess remarkable medical expertise. The filmmakers turn two common targets of American racism into the heroes, the standard of normalcy with real depth and emotion, and puts white America under the microscope for a change.
The friendship is extremely touching, but Harold & Kumar is also a tremendously funny comedy. There's a particularly hilarious fantasy sequence involving Kumar imagining the course of a romantic relationship with a bag of weed. Cho and Penn are talented comedians, and there's an already legendary, masterful appearance by Neil Patrick Harris as himself, shaking off the innocent shackles of Doogie Howser once and for all.
Watch Out, America
The sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (what a delightfully loaded title) will be released on April 25, 2008. The sadly probable premise places Harold and Kumar on a plane where they are perceived as terrorists because of their races (a line from the trailer mentions the teaming up of North Korea and Al-Qaeda), and hilarity boldly ensues. It's refreshing to see a movie expand upon the relevancy and brains of the original and also be brave enough to take the same controversial issues way beyond America's comfort zone. That's high flying indeed.
Rating: ***** (out of 5)
