![]() “Some moments make sense,” Eleanor continued. The events clearly had domino-path relevancy leading into one another––meeting Neil Patrick Harris leading to him stealing the car, the stolen car leading to jaywalking, jaywalking leading to jail, and so on––but did they each progress Harold’s arc in a meaningful way? ![]() The center of the film ran a gamut of hijinks. But within the second act of the film, those disappointments could have been anything.” The beginning of Act Three, when Harold gives his ‘I want that feeling’ speech, is motivated by his disappointment in all that came before, in total. “That the events in the plot have some clearly defined relevance to Harold’s journey. “Sure, but I’m stuck on the idea that the arc is informed by the journey,” Eleanor clarified. “It’s deeper than most stoner comedies are.” ![]() All events in the plot are not just diversions on the road to White Castle, but stepping stones in Harold gaining the self-respect to finally tell off his boss and ask out Maria.” “I’ll grant you that the objective and superobjective are clearly defined. “Are they, though?,” Eleanor asked, still confused. Yes, it’s about a trip to White Castle, but the characters have clear emotional arcs beyond that arcs that are shaped by each obstacle they face.” “Due to the protagonists having such a simple quest, the film makes for an excellent case study in comparing objective and superobjective. Despite it being so episodic––or, really, because it’s a bunch of small conflicts––it feels fast-moving because the goal is the same: get out of trouble and get back on the road.” “Dramatically, even while there’s randomness happening, the central plot thread of ‘we have to get to White Castle’ is always clear. “Can you say a film is great if its appeal lies mainly in the fact that it doesn’t make sense?” “I don’t know if that’s a point in the film’s favor, though,” said Eleanor. The guy walking up while Kumar pees in the bush? What was that about?” “Half the time I have no clue why certain things are happening. “That one’s more fast and cutting with its humor. “Well, I like Mean Girls a little more,” said Eleanor. “It’s great in the way…I don’t know, Mean Girls is great.” ![]() Memories of laughing about the hyper-sexual antics of Neil Patrick Harris had given way to more thoughtful appreciation for the film’s commentary on race and freedom.Įleanor, who had never seen the film before, had more questions than answers at the outset, and only one that could be answered immediately. For Dania, who had seen the film in high school, it held up much better than she had expected. None of the trio had many immediate thoughts about the film, raucous and caustic as it was. They’d wanted to honor the occasion, and watching the film felt like the correct way to do so, short of visiting one of Chicago’s dispensaries. The three sat on the couch, watching the end credits roll on Danny Leiner’s seminal stoner comedy, Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle. “Although, isn’t the whole month technically 4-20 this year?” “What are the odds that during the first 4/20 after Chicago legalized weed, everyone would be trapped inside?”
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