Sometimes you need to just need to laugh yourself stupid, and this is the perfect still to do it with. It's the type of film I'm only going to watch once, because after a hard week I just need some idiotic distraction. But that's exactly what it is, nothing to really recommend and certainly nothing to give awards to. Kal Penn is Kumar, an Indian American medical student without the intention of becoming a doctor and John Cho is a Korean American investment banker who is overworked and basically treated like dirt at his job. They save their weekends to party, and these are the two most unlikely stoners I've ever seen. They are also girl crazy but they are probably too high or drunk on the weekends to even go after the girls they like.

The White Castle reference is pure product placement, an advertisement for a popular burger chain, and there is a funny but disturbing moment when they go to what used to be a White Castle that is now a non-chain where the drive-thru window operator all of a sudden goes nuts. A sequence on a local college campus where they try to score weed is a mixed bag of sick moments, and that is stolen by the flatulent British babes in the ladies room, taking away any initial lady like personas the two men had of them.

But it does go on a bit too much with some real gross visual gags and when they are picked up hitchhiking, it goes too far. It's like seeing Dan Ackroyd's phallic nose all over again in "Nothing But Trouble" times two, combined with Beetlejuice's ugly brother. This is only halfway through the film, and the disgusting references have just begun. Some are funny in a teenage boy remembrance way, and others are just plain unnecessary, taking John Waters at his worst example of filth and tripling it.

It's one thing to take gross-out comedy to the ultimate level, making fun of PC standards and putting in stereotypes and attempting to cross the line, but just gets so absurd after a while that I could just imagine some members of the audience walking out and looking back horrified at those who remain. I'm not one to judge people for their taste in comedy as I did last at certain parts of this myself, but after a while, it became enough is enough and you've gone too far. The leads are likable, and that's all I'll say about them, and I could care less about the fake Neil Patrick Harris because the real one is way more than enough.

Harold Lee (John Cho) is a meek Asian who gets picked on all the time. He can't even get up the courage to talk to his neighbor Maria (Paula Garcés). Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) is his highly inappropriate slacker roommate who works hard NOT to get into medical school. They get stoned together and feel the need for White Castle.

This is full on slacker humor. The two guys make great comedic chemistry without the usual comedian. Their humor really comes from their friendship. The fact that they're both Asians is almost a side issue except for some ignorant racists characters in the movie. NPH makes a hilarious outrageous cameo.

I saw a short clip of this film on TV and instantly recognised the Asian star of American Pie, I assumed the two characters were in their own spin-off movie, I was annoyed it wasn't, but I was going to see it, from director Danny Leiner (Dude, Where's My Car?). Basically stoner teenage friends Harold Lee (John Cho),who works as a stock analyst, and Kumar Patel (Epic Movie's Kal Penn),a medical student, live pretty uninteresting lives. While sitting at home watching TV they say to themselves they crave a good meal somewhere, and they watch a commercial advertising the popular White Castle burger chain. Kumar convinces Harold that he should do his important work on his laptop on the way as they journey to the nearest White Castle, and they are let down when the nearest one is closed down. So with their stomachs empty and no real sense of direction, a road trip begins to the relocated White Castle, but it's not going to be an easy journey, as chaos follows disaster. Along the way Harold and Kumar encounter a raccoon attack, ending up with a trip to hospital with a Male Nurse (The Proposal's Ryan Reynolds) mistaking them for doctors, thankfully they save the patient's life. Next they have the car break down, and get a lift from the hideous looking Randy, or Freakshow (Christopher Meloni),who may have said they can shag his beautiful wife Liane (The Heartbreak Kid's Malin Akerman),and after the car is fixed they run away when it looks like ti could be a foursome. Then Harolf and Kumar give a ride to a hitchhiker, who turns out to be actor Neil Patrick Harris, desperate to get laid and looking high, and he steals the car when they stop for gas. The next thing they know they are arrested by a mean cop for jaywalking, and Harold learns a few things from his African American cell mate, before Kumar and him escape, with a big mound of marijuana. A few times on the way they are harassed by the high school skinheads, but they get their comeuppance when Harold and Kumar steal their car to carry on their way. Finally, they see a light in the distance and spot the White Castle restaurant, and with a hang-glider handy they fly across the country to reach it. It looks like after all the effort they can't pay with their wallets empty, but Neil Patrick Harris shows up to repay them for stealing their car, and they are ready to eat their big order of burgers, french fries and cold sodas. After their delicious meal they feel like they can do anything, so Harold finally speaks to the girl he has feelings for, Maria (Paula Garcés),and Kumar follows his father's wish to be a doctor. Also starring David Krumholtz as Goldstein, American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas as Rosenberg, Ethan Embry as Billy Carver, American Pie: The Wedding's Fred Willard as Dr. Willoughby, Scary Movie 3 & 4's Anthony Anderson as Burger Shack Employee and Jamie Kennedy as Creepy Guy. The leading actors make a good buddy movie duo, the road movie format is a good way to go, the slapstick and some gross jokes are good, and the story is simple but surprisingly warm, a really fun comedy. Good!