DogesAreTheBestDogs
America has a dark history regarding segregation and white supremacy. People often think of segregation in the past tense; however, racial discrimination is still an imminent problem. Under the command of America's new president, immigrants are racially profiled and face losing some of their rights. With the recent cases of police brutality regarding African Americans, it is clear that US still has a problem with racism. Because racial profiling is a controversial topic, many movies do not wish to address this problem. Although Danny Leiner's "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" addresses the racial discrimination that still occur in America, it uses strategically placed comedy to make the movie approachable by all races. The first scene of the movie shows a Korean American, Harold, working in a cubicle. The movie then pans to show two Caucasians conspiring to rid themselves of their work. One Caucasian says "those Asians just love crunching numbers" to justify forcing Harold to do their work. They threaten Harold and he , afraid for his job, takes on the extra workload. In the first scene, the viewer is introduced to this idea of discrimination in the workplace. The acts of the white males were unfair and unjust, but because Harold was a minority, the Caucasians felt that he would be submissive to them. If Harold was a fellow Caucasian, the white men could not have passed down their work onto him. At the end of the first scene, the two Caucasians are seen hopping onto their convertible, located near the office building, and rushing off. Harold, angry with his inability to stand up, decides to go home. Harold's car, an old Toyota sedan, is parked in the furthest possible parking space. The office scene finishes with Harold slow walking to his car. This scene was hilarious, but still addressed the fact of white supremacy in the work force. Harold, who does his own work, owns a old Toyota while the while males that do not work as hard own a convertible. This car scene shows that immigrants are under paid and because of their inability to stand up for their rights. Harold and Kumar smoke weed and got the munchies, so they decide to go to White Castle to buy burgers. They need to take a road trip, and along the way, they decide to stop at Princeton to meet some of Harold's friends and get more marijuana. The movie shows the stereotypical nerdy and studious Korean student. Harold and Kumar were invited to a party hosted by the Koreans. Thinking that the party would be lame, they decide to ditch the party. As they were leaving, they see that the Korean party was "lit." The movie is trying to break the stereotypes that society has placed on certain races. After a series of events, Harrold is arrested and is in jail with an African American, Tarik Jackson. When Harold asked Tarik why he was arrested, Tarik responded, "for being black." Tarik was peacefully reading at Barnes & Nobles, but there was a robbery in Newark, and because he was black, the police officers thought he was the robber and arrested him. Tarik did not resist arrest or show any aggression, but the police officers abused him and did not treat him as a human.Police brutality is a serious problem in the United States that has only recently made headlines in the news. Police and society have associated crime and violence with the African American community and find it easier to accuse them of crimes. Tarik is very calm about his situation and when he is asked to why, he says: "People have been messing with me my whole life. I learned a long time ago that there's no sense getting all riled up every time a bunch of idiots give you a hard time." The movie breaks the stereotypes society has placed on African Americans. Any human being with a sense of pride would get angry at the police officers for their harsh treatment, but Tarik is not violent at all. He is calm and is not violent. When Kumar breaks Harold out of jail, Tarik is in the corner reading a book. The officers return to see Harold escaping, but instead say "Jackson's trying to escape," and call his book a gun. Tarik is raising his hands and has his knees on the floor, but the officers say he is resisting and start to hit him with their sticks. The movie shows the viewer the hardships African Americans face even in this time and age. The color of their skin makes them discriminated against and second class citizens with no human rights. Throughout the movie, the viewer sees Harold and Kumar as immigrants, but as the movie comes to a close, we see that their actions are those of Americans. The idea of road trips and eating burgers is American. The trip to White Castle was not just about getting burgers, but was about fulfilling the American Dream. Their "parents came to this country, escaping persecution, poverty and hunger. . . . they wanted to live in a land that treated them as equals." The idea that everyone has an equal chance in America resonates strongly inside both Harold and Kumar's hearts. The movie ends with Harold and Kumar fulfilling their American Dream. The movie uses comedy to destroy the stereotypes society has placed on certain racial and ethnic groups. The movie address the serious problems that America still faces, but uses comedy to make the movie more approachable. Harold confronts the two Caucasians from his work and tells them off. His speech shows his transformation from a being a nerdy, quiet Asian to a high spirited American that stands up for his rights. A simple story of two men getting burgers, turned into a story of fulfilling the American Dream.
Dan Sessions
I've never really been into 'stoner' movies mainly because of me not being one myself. But after stumbling across the 'Harold & Kumar' films on an IMDb list, I thought 'hey ho' lets give it a try. God am I happy that I did, this movie is one of the funniest and easy to watch films I have ever seen! Starting off with the two pals getting stoned in their apartment and then getting a major case of the munchies they starting arguing about where they're gonna eat shortly after their argument they see a very American advert for a fast food place known as 'White Castle.' So being as roasted out of there heads are they were they decided to set off to 'White Castle!' Which doesn't turn out to be as easy as they thought it would be. Meeting red necks, runaway cheetahs, crack head celebrities and a couple of girls, this movie is a great film to sit down and watch with the lads, or even just by yourself if you are looking for an easy to watch film which will make you laugh and defiantly make you wanna set out on a road trip of your own.
manjodude
Lol! This movie has lot of laugh aloud moments that I should give it a thumbs up.Kal Penn as Kumar and John Cho as his friend, Harold Lee give decent performances. Kal Penn is really funny while John Cho is OK although they do have good on screen chemistry and hit off as a comic duo.Was surprised to see the hunk Ryan Reynolds in a miniscule, insignificant role but this was still the time of his career where he didn't have much success yet. Even Neil Patrick Harris(Doogie Howser fame) had a trashy role although he did a fine job. Maybe Ryan & Neil did the movie as they're best buddies of Kal Penn....The visual effects in some places were unintentionally funny and there's no logic in few other scenes. Yet the movie still gives you a nice viewing time because it's still hilarious overall.Verdict: An ideal movie to lighten up your mood, period.
