[scroll down for more in the "Where We're From" series]
I don't want to write too much about Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay because you might-should go see it, if you haven't already, and its humor is so simplistic that to say much about it is to give the fun away.
But, I can't resist quoting my favorite line, delivered by Kumar. He is defending the American way of life against the slur that Americans just sit around eating donuts:
"Fuck off, donuts are awesome!"
On the surface, the movie is far from subtle, but as you might guess from the title, its underlying questions are not so simplistic.
Like: What does it mean to be an American? What unites us, and what divides us? And, where are we from?
These questions cut across classes in America. For instance, I bet most people who see art-house films won't see G-bay and vice-versa, but the actor who plays Kumar, Kal Penn (above, right, with John Cho as Harold), also plays Gogal in the The Namesake, a serious film that raises some of the same questions. Both characters are the American-born sons of Indian immigrants.
As a middle-aged American, many (most?) people I know can name at least one grandparent who came from another country.
Bink recently sent me a photo of her German-born grandfather, which I'll post, below.
A while back, I posted a photo of Maura's Lebanon-born grandmother... Maybe I could start a series. (Send me yours!)
I don't want to write too much about Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay because you might-should go see it, if you haven't already, and its humor is so simplistic that to say much about it is to give the fun away.But, I can't resist quoting my favorite line, delivered by Kumar. He is defending the American way of life against the slur that Americans just sit around eating donuts:
"Fuck off, donuts are awesome!"
On the surface, the movie is far from subtle, but as you might guess from the title, its underlying questions are not so simplistic.
Like: What does it mean to be an American? What unites us, and what divides us? And, where are we from?
These questions cut across classes in America. For instance, I bet most people who see art-house films won't see G-bay and vice-versa, but the actor who plays Kumar, Kal Penn (above, right, with John Cho as Harold), also plays Gogal in the The Namesake, a serious film that raises some of the same questions. Both characters are the American-born sons of Indian immigrants.
As a middle-aged American, many (most?) people I know can name at least one grandparent who came from another country.
Bink recently sent me a photo of her German-born grandfather, which I'll post, below.
A while back, I posted a photo of Maura's Lebanon-born grandmother... Maybe I could start a series. (Send me yours!)