HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE (2004). Harold and Maude Go to
White Castle might have been a better bet, but this is nevertheless a gross-out
comedy with a difference — it tosses some sharp social satire into the usual
mix of horny guys, amiable dopeheads, repulsive rednecks and homosexual bit
players. And instead of making its lead characters typical morons like Bill
and Ted or the Dude, Where’s My Car? pair, this one gives us two smart
kids in Korean-American Harold (John Cho), a mild-mannered employee at an investment
firm, and Indian-American Kumar (Kal Penn), a more rebellious type who isn’t
quite ready to become a medical grad student like his dad desires. The plot
is lifted from the Cheech and Chong playbook, as Harold and Kumar spend a Friday
night getting high and then deciding that their munchies can only be satisfied
by the burgers and fries at White Castle. So they’re off on an all-night road
trip, one which finds them coming into contact with a Bible-thumping hillbilly
named Freakshow, a pair of college girls prone to engaging in a bathroom variation
on Battleship (the film’s nastiest gag), and Doogie Howser star
Neil Patrick Harris, playing himself as a drug-addled party animal on the hunt
for hookers. The crass humor alternates between funny-stupid and stupid-stupid,
but the movie’s knowing digs at the casual racism witnessed by the pair provide
it with a whiff of added subtext. This had all the makings of a sleeper hit,
yet its box office tapped out at $18 million; though its miniscule production
costs allowed it to turn a profit, I suspect it will fare even better on home
video, where couch potatoes can more easily watch it under the influence of
their favorite, uh, snack. DVD extras on the Extreme Unrated version
include deleted scenes, interviews with Cho and Penn, and “The Art of the Fart,”
a feature on (I kid you not) creating the flatulent sounds for the aforementioned
Battleship sequence.
Movie: 
1/2
Extras: 1/2
TROY (2004). Last year’s most underrated film was also one of its best, and while its stateside box office ($133 million) didn’t offset its $175 million budget, its acceptance by the more savvy international crowd resulted in a humongous worldwide gross of $497 million, thus making it one of 2004’s out-and-out smashes. Inspired by Homer’s The Iliad, this is a big, brawny movie that scores on a number of levels: as a rousing epic that puts its budget where its mouth is; as a thoughtful tale in which men struggle with issues involving honor, loyalty and bravery; and as a topical treatise on what happens when the populace blindly follows its leaders into a war that’s merely about power and greed. Director Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm) manages to emulate the classic screen spectacles by deftly mixing the epic — excellent battle scenes — with the intimate — finely etched portrayals, most notably by Eric Bana as Trojan hero Hector and Peter O’Toole as his sage father King Priam. Brad Pitt is never wholly convincing in this ancient setting, but he exhibits enough charisma and resolve to make him a worthy Achilles. Most of the other key roles (played by Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox and Sean Bean, among others) are well cast, with only German model Diane Kruger failing to hold up her end — her Helen is a boring beauty, hardly indicative of the face that launched a thousand ships. Extras on the two-disc DVD include short features on the action sequences, special effects and set designs, an interactive “Gallery of the Gods,” and an amusing Easter Egg.
Movie: 1/2
Extras: 1/2
WIMBLEDON (2004). Here’s a film that manages to transcend its utterly generic storyline thanks to appealing casting in the central roles. Wimbledon is all been-there-done-that, a romantic comedy in which a struggling British player falls for an American tennis star and finds his game improving as their relationship deepens. Coming from the same outfit that brought us Notting Hill, we expect to see Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts huffing on the court and off; instead, it’s Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst, and this unlikely match (not to mention the actors’ natural charm) provides the necessary bounce to this undemanding trifle. Bettany is especially impressive, continuing to display his range after strong supporting turns in A Knight’s Tale, A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. DVD extras include audio commentary by Bettany and director Richard Loncraine, short features on the making of the movie, and the theatrical trailer.
Movie: 1/2
Extras:
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2005.
