Reviews

This movie was absolutely great. I've watched it about 5 times now over the past few weeks. For all those that love The Big Lebowski, this movie will make a lot of sense. There are loads and loads of memorable lines in the film. Even more interesting was the interesting metaphors about race relations, immigration and assimilation in the US. It seems to me that White Castle (not, in my view, randomly selected as the munchie destination of choice) represented that idealized destination that all those pursuing happiness and the American Dream seek out. A telling moment is where Harold and Kumar, before getting to White Castle, see their Jewish friends Goldstein and Rosenberg happily enjoying their hotdogs in another fast food joint. They gaze longingly at their two friends and Harold says "I want what they have". He elaborates that he means having exactly what you want, not hot dogs per se. You could argue that this was a metaphor for Asian-American and Indian-American first or second generation immigrants looking to Jewish-Americans as examples of a group that came to the US and managed to be admitted to the "White Castle", to assimilate and to ultimately attain the American Dream. I could be way off about this, but it's clear that immigration, assimilation and race-relations is a prominent theme throughout the film. Bottom line, the film is both hilarious, meaningful, and memorable.