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Now that Cheech and Chong have gone up in smoke, and Bill and Ted have ended their bogus journey, Harold and Kumar are picking up the torch, trying to make us laugh all the way to White Castle.
After a pot-induced attack of the munchies, the aloof Kumar (Kal Penn) and conservative Harold (John Cho) embark on a quest to satiate their hunger at the titular burger joint. Along the way are the usual lowbrow comedy detours—fascist cops, babes dying to take off their clothes—as well as some atypical stops, like a hilariously drugged up Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris, as himself).
Screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg keep the humor random, so jokes that hit their mark hit unexpectedly hard. But Harold and Kumar form the same unlikely odd couple we've seen before in countless other stupid comedies. Nothing sets them apart. And since the script insists on having Harold learn to be less uptight and Kumar learn to be more responsible, the laughs are punctuated by frequent eye-rolling.
The ending sets up a sequel. Let's hope Europe brings more memorable qualities out of our hungry heroes.