Review of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) by Christopher C — 12 Oct 2011

I like John Cho and Kal Penn a lot. They have good timing, chemistry and energy, plus seem to be genuinely cool guys when they're not acting. It's due to their bromance that Harold & Kumar has become a franchise, a pretty stunning outcome for a low-budget stoner comedy.

That said, the first film in the series, much like the other two I suspect, is an uneven affair. They cram a ton of ridiculous gags and cameos into a short 88 minutes, so much so it often plays as a series of sketches and not necessarily a cohesive work.

That's fine when it is brilliant, like the NPH stuff and the two big montages, but a lot of it is half-baked in more ways than one. It also seems to take Cho and Penn a bit to settle into their characters and really click with them, and to that end it definitely helps they're not copying the archetypes typically found in these types of stories.

So while the movie's never dull, it ultimately fails to reach line-quoting classic status, but at least it's a fun side trip.