Harold and Kumar Transcends Race

Race underscores the stoner misadventures of Harold and Kumar—whose second film comes out tomorrow—but it’s not the point. The movies, about two friends who “just happen not to be white,” set a multicultural standard that Hollywood hasn’t figured out, writes Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times. When it comes to cultural issues, “filmgoers are a bit savvier than they are given credit for,” says a co-director.

“Harold and Kumar are sort of beyond race,” says filmmaker Hayden Schlossberg. While one is Korean and the other Indian, "it's totally random,” he said. Race motivates the plot of the new film, in which the pals are mistaken for terrorists—but “the goal for us is to make the audience laugh,” says co-writer/director Jon Hurwitz. (More film stories.)