Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle

(Herald rating * * *)

Hamilton video-store managers are recommended to order double quantities of this stoner road comedy because their audience will relate to the plot: two guys want to smoke dope, meet girls and drive huge distances to buy and eat hamburgers.

As anyone who has been to a party in the Waikato capital will know, those (part three usually involves pooling money for petrol and heading for the White Lady in Shortland St) are rites of passage for Hamilton teenagers.

Harold Lee (John Cho) is a Korean-American accountant. Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) is an Indian-American party animal who is supposed to be starting medical school. They are getting stoned one night when they see a White Castle burger chain commercial on TV and get the munchies (also a familiar situation at Hamilton parties).

They will drive through two states and run into a number of ... oh, probably highly likely scenarios ... to get their bag of patties and buns (tacky pun intended).

Directed by Danny Leiner, who got his motor running with Dude, Where's My Car?, the DVD includes several deleted scenes and outtakes, interviews with the two stars and director, and funny commentaries. DVD-ROM features include a game and a script-to-screen storyboard.

DVD, video rental out now