It's the hangover from drug day. Here I present Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (scroll down). That film takes place in the Garden State (another film that includes drug use). And then we're off to the future in I, Robot...coming soon. Enjoy.
Garden State
Review by Jon Waterman
****
Andrew Largeman is a struggling actor in Los Angeles. His one claim to fame is his role as the “retarded quarterback” in a small-scale production. He’s struggling to find any sort of happiness out there and he’s in danger of losing his waiter job. To make matters worse, he just got a call from his psychiatrist father to tell him that his paraplegic mother died. Now he has to go back to New Jersey to face his family and all the old demons he left behind.
By the way, this is a comedy. You wouldn’t think it from the description, but it actually is quite funny. That doesn’t mean it has no dramatic tension or heart. It has that too. In fact writer/director/lead actor Zach Braff (from the TV show “Scrubs”), in his behind the scenes debut, shows that this year comedy can still work if it contains an emotional core. There’s humor in pain and Braff gives us everything from the awkward to the cathartic to the distracting (in a good way). There are also some good, cheap bathroom gags to go with the comic relief, but nothing goes too far or seems out of place.
Inside the comedic ball lies a tightly crafted story with well-developed characters. You’re never sure of anyone’s motivations, not even Largeman’s. Every little piece of history that’s given reveals a more complete profile of the complex personality. The dialogue is very natural and heartfelt. It’s very easy to get a quick preliminary read on each character only to have that perception expounded upon as the story progresses. Braff provides the piece to a puzzle you thought was finished.
Supplementing the exceptional writing is the exceptional cast. Braff himself as Largeman keeps it all inside while still being able to connect to the audience. Ian Holm as the accusatory father is brilliant as always in his small role. Peter Sarsgaard as grave digging friend Mark uses his physical creepiness to aid in his mysterious nature. Natalie Portman seems a little out of place as the eccentric Sam. But she works her way into it like Kate Winslet does in “Eternal Sunshine of the Eternal Mind.” All of the supporting characters are strong and all of them get their effective moments of depth or comedy.
Add to all this great cinematography and a wonderful score and you have not just a great debut feature, but you have a great feature. I can understand that not everyone would be interested in a tale of self-discovery and reinvention, but either way, it’s still worth seeing. It’s at least just as funny as most comedies you’ll see this year and this one adds some drama to the mix, too. I look forward to seeing what Zach comes up with next.
+++++++
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Review by Jon Waterman
***
Harold and Kumar need to kick back and relax. Harold, as a number cruncher at some anonymous financial institution, is constantly being taken advantage of. Kumar is a med student genius that doesn’t want to enter the field, but has his doctor father on his back constantly about his failed interviews. What can they possibly do to relieve their pressure and stress? Oh, how about some primo weed? But where there’s smoke, there’s hunger. Only a small food can satisfy a craving so large. So, they head out to White Castle. What could possibly go wrong?
The title alone elicited a laugh out of me, but is there more to pot smoking journey than just a funny name? Yeah. There is. In order to fully enjoy the movie, you have to completely throw all realism out the door. Accept that anything can happen, just go with the flow and relax. After letting go, probably the most unbelievable thing in the film is that they continuously run into the same cast of characters repeatedly and hardly meet anyone new. There are plenty of supporting players to draw from, but it’s just a little odd that they don’t let any character go off into nothingness. They always get a resolution of sorts. That’s not necessary and not usually funny, either.
Unlike a “Half Baked,” you don’t need to have experience with drugs in order to really appreciate it or get some of the jokes. It’s more like “Dude, Where’s My Car?” (and directed by the same guy – the good TV director Danny Leiner) in that it seems like it’s about one thing, but really it takes you in all sorts of unexpected fun directions. Despite it being a pot movie, it’s not a pot movie. Sure the plot is driven by marijuana, but the movie is ultimately about the journey, the friendships and (surprisingly enough) the trouble with society. As sort of a reversal of comedic standards, the only people portrayed in a stereotypical fashion are white people. The film portrays various races and all the non-whites (including Jews) fail to conform to the compartments society has placed them in. On the other hand, white people are seen as unintelligent (the only group portrayed as such), narrow-minded jerks who think nothing more than about themselves. It’s a great satirical move and a lot of legitimately laughs come from it. I particularly liked the “Extreeeeeme!” guys.
The film shows that you don’t have to be white or black to effectively carry a movie. In fact, it’d be great to see this become a growing trend that could freshen up the Hollywood system a bit. John Cho (Harold) and Kal Penn (Kumar) have held smaller roles previously and show here that they’re underused, despite how many films they’ve been in. They’re probably the only ones that don’t overact. There are plenty of cameo roles from established names, but they all take it too far. Anthony Anderson and Neil Patrick Harris (in the worst bit role since Fred Savage in “Rules of Attraction”) make me want to punch things they’re so bad. Ryan Reynolds (Penn’s co-star in “Van Wilder”) is pretty funny as a doctor. However, Christopher Meloni and Jaime Kennedy steal the show away.
Is it the funniest movie? No. But it is actually funny. And it’s smarter than it sounds. Comedy is very tough to pull off. This one works well most of the time, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
Garden State
Review by Jon Waterman
****
Andrew Largeman is a struggling actor in Los Angeles. His one claim to fame is his role as the “retarded quarterback” in a small-scale production. He’s struggling to find any sort of happiness out there and he’s in danger of losing his waiter job. To make matters worse, he just got a call from his psychiatrist father to tell him that his paraplegic mother died. Now he has to go back to New Jersey to face his family and all the old demons he left behind.
By the way, this is a comedy. You wouldn’t think it from the description, but it actually is quite funny. That doesn’t mean it has no dramatic tension or heart. It has that too. In fact writer/director/lead actor Zach Braff (from the TV show “Scrubs”), in his behind the scenes debut, shows that this year comedy can still work if it contains an emotional core. There’s humor in pain and Braff gives us everything from the awkward to the cathartic to the distracting (in a good way). There are also some good, cheap bathroom gags to go with the comic relief, but nothing goes too far or seems out of place.
Inside the comedic ball lies a tightly crafted story with well-developed characters. You’re never sure of anyone’s motivations, not even Largeman’s. Every little piece of history that’s given reveals a more complete profile of the complex personality. The dialogue is very natural and heartfelt. It’s very easy to get a quick preliminary read on each character only to have that perception expounded upon as the story progresses. Braff provides the piece to a puzzle you thought was finished.
Supplementing the exceptional writing is the exceptional cast. Braff himself as Largeman keeps it all inside while still being able to connect to the audience. Ian Holm as the accusatory father is brilliant as always in his small role. Peter Sarsgaard as grave digging friend Mark uses his physical creepiness to aid in his mysterious nature. Natalie Portman seems a little out of place as the eccentric Sam. But she works her way into it like Kate Winslet does in “Eternal Sunshine of the Eternal Mind.” All of the supporting characters are strong and all of them get their effective moments of depth or comedy.
Add to all this great cinematography and a wonderful score and you have not just a great debut feature, but you have a great feature. I can understand that not everyone would be interested in a tale of self-discovery and reinvention, but either way, it’s still worth seeing. It’s at least just as funny as most comedies you’ll see this year and this one adds some drama to the mix, too. I look forward to seeing what Zach comes up with next.
+++++++
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Review by Jon Waterman
***
Harold and Kumar need to kick back and relax. Harold, as a number cruncher at some anonymous financial institution, is constantly being taken advantage of. Kumar is a med student genius that doesn’t want to enter the field, but has his doctor father on his back constantly about his failed interviews. What can they possibly do to relieve their pressure and stress? Oh, how about some primo weed? But where there’s smoke, there’s hunger. Only a small food can satisfy a craving so large. So, they head out to White Castle. What could possibly go wrong?
The title alone elicited a laugh out of me, but is there more to pot smoking journey than just a funny name? Yeah. There is. In order to fully enjoy the movie, you have to completely throw all realism out the door. Accept that anything can happen, just go with the flow and relax. After letting go, probably the most unbelievable thing in the film is that they continuously run into the same cast of characters repeatedly and hardly meet anyone new. There are plenty of supporting players to draw from, but it’s just a little odd that they don’t let any character go off into nothingness. They always get a resolution of sorts. That’s not necessary and not usually funny, either.
Unlike a “Half Baked,” you don’t need to have experience with drugs in order to really appreciate it or get some of the jokes. It’s more like “Dude, Where’s My Car?” (and directed by the same guy – the good TV director Danny Leiner) in that it seems like it’s about one thing, but really it takes you in all sorts of unexpected fun directions. Despite it being a pot movie, it’s not a pot movie. Sure the plot is driven by marijuana, but the movie is ultimately about the journey, the friendships and (surprisingly enough) the trouble with society. As sort of a reversal of comedic standards, the only people portrayed in a stereotypical fashion are white people. The film portrays various races and all the non-whites (including Jews) fail to conform to the compartments society has placed them in. On the other hand, white people are seen as unintelligent (the only group portrayed as such), narrow-minded jerks who think nothing more than about themselves. It’s a great satirical move and a lot of legitimately laughs come from it. I particularly liked the “Extreeeeeme!” guys.
The film shows that you don’t have to be white or black to effectively carry a movie. In fact, it’d be great to see this become a growing trend that could freshen up the Hollywood system a bit. John Cho (Harold) and Kal Penn (Kumar) have held smaller roles previously and show here that they’re underused, despite how many films they’ve been in. They’re probably the only ones that don’t overact. There are plenty of cameo roles from established names, but they all take it too far. Anthony Anderson and Neil Patrick Harris (in the worst bit role since Fred Savage in “Rules of Attraction”) make me want to punch things they’re so bad. Ryan Reynolds (Penn’s co-star in “Van Wilder”) is pretty funny as a doctor. However, Christopher Meloni and Jaime Kennedy steal the show away.
Is it the funniest movie? No. But it is actually funny. And it’s smarter than it sounds. Comedy is very tough to pull off. This one works well most of the time, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
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