Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

A Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.

Director:

Danny Leiner

Writers:

Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Stars:

John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cho	...	Harold Lee
Ethan Embry	...	Billy Carver
Rob Tinkler	...	J.D. (as Robert Tinkler)
Fred Willard	...	Dr. Willoughby
Kal Penn	...	Kumar Patel
Steve Braun	...	Cole
Dan Bochart	...	Extreme Sports Punk #1
Paula Garcés	...	Maria (as Paula Garcès)
Mike Sheer	...	'I'm So High' Kid
Christopher Thompson	...	'Don't You Wanna Be Cool' Kid
David Krumholtz	...	Goldstein
Eddie Kaye Thomas	...	Rosenberg
Angelo Tsarouchas	...	Mean Tollbooth Guy (as Angelo Tsachouras)
Anthony Anderson	...	Burger Shack Employee
Siu Ta	...	Cindy Kim

Storyline

Harold Lee and Kumar Patel are two stoners who end up getting the munchies. What they crave the most after seeing a TV advertisement, is a trip to White Castle. So from here, follows a journey for the burgers they require. On their way they will encounter many obstacles including a raccoon, a racist officer, and a horny Neil Patrick Harris.

---

Plot Keywords:

stoner | stoner comedy | road trip | short skirt | girl wearing a mini skirt | 

---

Taglines:

Fast Food. High Times.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, sexual content, drug use and some crude humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

There were no White Castles in the filming location so a building was trucked in.

---

Goofs

The fog lights on Harold's car repeatedly alternate between on and off over the course of the entire movie.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
J.D.: Billy boy! Get your ass ready. It's almost 5:00 and this bad boy needs to get his drink on. No, no, no. Give me that.
Billy Carver: Don't.
J.D.: I'm gonna burn it once and for all.
Billy Carver: Stop it.

---

Alternate Versions

There is approximately one extra minute of scenes in the "Unrated" version of the movie:

• At the Asian party, two women flash the shy guy in order to get some weed. Harold and Kumar stop and stare, as does a campus police officer chasing them. The women then cover themselves after noticing the campus police.
• After the kayak stunt, the guys talk a little longer about how "extreme" the stunt was and one picks up a bag of Doritos Extreme Cheddar and eats it.
• The scene with Neil Patrick Harris and the two strippers is slightly longer.
• Cindy Kim is shown kissing Goldstein (when his mouth is full of food) at Hotdog Heaven.
• The Extreme guys have more dialogue after Harold steals their truck.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #19.157 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Dance of the Warrior
Written by Anthony Anderson, Stephen Gaines, Pallo Peacock
Performed by Zion I (as Zion-i)
Courtesy of Live Up Records by arrangment with Position Soundtrack Services
Courtesy of Position Music Publishing (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Jim Blesener and Cat Stevens Go to Black Shack

I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. Being a fan of White Castle and the talents of John Cho and Kal Penn, this movie was a sure fire hit. Normally I would think a script about two stoners on a quest for White Castle sliders would be boring, if not retarded, material... but this movie just works.

Let's face it - the stoner angle may not appeal to everyone, but their quest is just too good/funny to pass up. There are more wacky moments than most "buds hit the road" comedies can muster. Imagine Neil Patrick Harris (NPH!!) playing himself - well, he flippin' does here, in a very funny, if slightly disturbing, role. The comradeship between John and Kal is fantastic. They'll probably remind you of two old buds from college - or maybe even hit closer to home.

I'm not sure if it's the great delivery by John/Kal, maybe the writing, or a both - this movie is really a great time. The whole theater was laughing - I haven't heard that in A LONG TIME. Did "Bruce Almighty" do that? No. Did "Envy" do it? Hell no. Did "50 First Dates" do it? Ummm, no.

Bottom line - this is a good movie that actually delivers the laughs.

Details

Official Sites:

WarnerBros.com

Country:

USA Canada Germany

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

30 July 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,200,000, 1 August 2004

Gross USA:

$18,250,550

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,936,908

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment, Harold & Kumar, Kingsgate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1