accessAtlanta

Grade: B

Verdict: Dude, where's my burger?

By BOB TOWNSEND
Cox News Service

"Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" is a funny stoner buddy movie, with nods to those original multicultural high times guys, Cheech and Chong, and flashes of the kind of party-on comedy that "Saturday Night Live" slackers Wayne and Garth made most excellent.

Danny Leiner, who directed 2000's insipid "Dude, Where's My Car?," delivers a brighter and tighter road trip this time. That's mainly due to the dynamic talents of Kal Penn ("Malibu's Most Wanted") as Kumar Patel and John Cho ("American Pie") as Harold Lee and an unapologetically silly but clever script that bubbles like bong water. Add some ironic product placement that's likely to cause a buzz among its target demographic of party boys, and you have the makings of a minor late-summer hit.

Harold is a socially awkward accountant hopelessly infatuated with a Latin lovely named Maria (Paula Garces). His roommate Kumar is a merry prankster doing his best to stay out of med school despite his doctor father's directives. The laughs start when the two get a major attack of the munchies one Friday after toking up and being mesmerized by a White Castle hamburger commercial. They drive out to satisfy their cravings for a suitcase full of sliders and end up on an all-night odyssey through suburban New Jersey.

Much like the downward spiral of convoluted perils faced by the main character of Martin Scorsese's darker (and much better) "After Hours," things get stranger and stranger for Harold and Kumar as they journey beyond midnight. A college dope dealer, a rabid raccoon, a runaway cheetah and a crazy cop all figure in the chronic bummer, moved along with some surreal animation, wacky puppetry and bizarre makeup.

One of the best bits features Christopher Meloni as Freakshow, a hideous tow-truck driver with a face full of exploding boils and a sexy young wife. And Neil Patrick Harris deftly plays himself, acting the horn dog fool and hijacking Harold's ride in order to pick up chicks -- which leads to the inevitable dude line, "Did Doogie Howser just steal my car?"