Hotel Rwanda vs Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle

Hotel Rwanda is one of those movies that seem Very Important. I thought, going in, that it might be a Learning Experience, or maybe even Good For Me. And, it is those things, to be certain. But the makers of Hotel Rwanda have done a Good and Important thing: they've taken a story about a tragedy of millions, and have made it the story of one. At one point in Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina naively asks a reporter what people will do when they see news reports of the atrocities happening in his country. The reporter tells him that they'll think it's terrible, and then they'll get on with their day. Unfortunately, that's true. But if the story focuses on an individual, we might identify, and listen.

Paul (Don Cheadle) is the manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines in Rwanda. It's a beautiful resort, and Paul runs it like a man who believes he's part of a privileged society, and not someone in the service of those with privilege. He bribes when he has to (he teaches a bellboy that an expensive Cuban cigar means more than the money it takes to buy it), and is friendly and professional in all situations. Looking at his hotel, you'd never guess that it's located right in the middle of poverty and warfare. It's 1994, and Rwanda is on the verge of a mass genocide that would eventually kill over one million members of the Tutsi tribe, at the hands of the Hulus.

It's never clear exactly what the Hulus had against the Tutsis, or vice versa, other than a vague, random class system based entirely on physical appearance. The width of the nose is very important, as is the lightness of the skin. A propagandist, bellowing radio host constantly goads the Hulus on against the “cockroaches”, but there are members of the society that associate from tribe to tribe. When the war reporter (Joaquin Phoenix, good in a tiny role) questions two pretty girls about their tribal history, he's surprised to find them on opposite sides, despite being so similar physically they could pass for twins. Well, what did you expect? A genocide that makes sense? Hotel Rwanda is crushing, because it's true, and because it's a premise we wish was completely ludicrous. How could it be true? How could this happen, a million dead? And yet it did. Horrifying.

Paul first experiences the rise of violence between the tribes at home with his family. A house across the street is invaded by soldiers, and a man is beaten nearly to death in the front yard. Paul is further alarmed later, when his son is put in danger, in a tense, bloody scene that sends the kid sleeping under the bed, and me thinking maybe he has a point.

Eventually, Paul has holed up in the hotel (the owners have left the country, along with the whole of its moneyed clientele), with his family (which is of mixed tribal heritage) and the hotel staff. Orphans are brought in by the Red Cross, and before long, the hotel is full of hundreds of refugees from the area. There is U.N. protection, led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte), who has a strict no-shooting policy. Even when pushed to a drastic degree, he'll still only fire at the ground. And Paul continues, living his life as calmly as possible, requiring his hotel staff to keep up appearances, trying to bribe for safety and supplies. Eventually, as you'll dread when you watch the movie, things worsen. The rebels close in, and Paul's bribes and favors carry less and less weight.

Hotel Rwanda is a powerful movie, but in a simpler way than most films of this nature. It's not as grand or symbolic as Schindler's List, but also not as glamorous and tacky as Pearl Harbor. Hotel Rwanda is shrouded in mystery somewhat, which is fitting, considering the events of those few months in 1994 were ignored by practically the entire globe. Director Terry George has crafted a film that feels brutal and unsettling, but keeps most of the violence off-camera. There are horrible images at times, with corpses lining the roads, and refugees draining a swimming pool with pots and pans. For the most part, however, we experience the horror in much the same way as Paul: internally, wondering just how much worse it can get.

Don Cheadle is the right man to play Paul. He keeps him as calm as possible, constantly maintaining his the-customer-is-always-right attitude, even when trading watches and cash for the lives of his family. There's an agonizing scene of Paul, so terrified of a new day that he can't button his shirt or tie his tie. Sophie Okonedo is Cheadle's equal as Paul's wife Tatiana. Nick Nolte is the most memorable of the supporting cast, as you could probably have guessed.

Hotel Rwanda ends on a hopeful note, but after so much destruction and sadness, I was left exhausted. Listen, it's not that I don't know what's good for me. It's just that sometimes, with all the horror in the world, I need a little comfort. It probably seems a little shallow to move on to something light, but after Hotel Rwanda, everything short of flying to Rwanda and apologizing to every single survivor feels at least a little shallow. So, you should see Hotel Rwanda, because it's good, but afterward, maybe you should watch Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, because it's good too. And you don't have to feel guilty about laughing or having fun. If you like, I'll tell everyone you watched the news and then cried yourself to sleep. Harold and Kumar can be our secret.

Are we bad people? We might be. Harold and Kumar is funny though, and I think that's a worthy pursuit. The plot of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle is exactly as long (and contains the same words) as the title of the movie. Harold and Kumar are college friends, they get crazy high, they get the munchies, they crave miniature steamed burgers, they hit the road. That's it.

It helps, in this sort of movie—and by “this sort of movie” I mean that at one point two prim Ivy League British girls play a game of “Battle-shit”—if the leads are likable. I can't express how much this matters. How much of There's Something About Mary would you have sat through if the leads were played by, say, David Spade and Denise Richards? Not that they aren't likable, mind you; they were just the first to spring to mind. The point is, Harold and Kumar are good guys, and we want them to get those burgers, damn it. I've never seen John Cho (Harold) or Kal Penn (Kumar) in a movie before, but they're both good, deadpan everymen. It's worth noting, I think, that the movie dodges several opportunities to play into racial stereotypes, instead choosing to portray Harold and Kumar as regular college kids who happen to have significant cultural pressures from their families and communities, but more importantly, desperately want a bag of tiny square burgers. Harold and Kumar is so much smarter and quicker than other movies in this genre, and it's one of the few mainstream comedies lately that I can honestly say surprised me more than once. For example, they pick up a hitchhiker, and instead of it being a psychotic, or a drug addict, or a thief, it's actually all three, and played by Neil Patrick Harris as himself. Harris is a coked out, lecherous joy to behold. He gets Harold and Kumar in way more trouble than they bargained, but helps push Harold and Kumar go to White Castle beyond the supposed limits of its genre. Is it a Very Important Film? No, but like a fine Cuban cigar bribe, Harold and Kumar's worth is greater than its price.

Hotel Rwanda: A-
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle: B