Rated R. Click here to view the trailer.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle was one of my favorite movies of 2004, even if it was one of the dumbest. Kal Penn and John Cho have teamed up to bring us a sequel but this one just couldn’t give me the high that the first stoner comedy did.
The action in Escape from Guantanamo Bay picks up mere seconds after White Castle left off. Our dynamic duo are on their way to Amsterdam to pursue the girl of Harold’s dreams. Due to some racism and some truly idiotic actions on the part of Kumar, the pair are arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as terrorists (“North Korea and Al Qaeda working together!”). They eventually escape (along with some real terrorists, but never mind that) and must work their way to Texas to bust up the wedding of Kumar’s old flame and obtain legal help from her federal official fiancé, with homeland security official (Rob Corddry) bumbling along behind them.
It’s more or less the same movie as its predecessor. Both movies are buddy travel comedies and both involved significant scatological humor. The jokes were funny the first time around, but this time it just seems like the writers weren’t trying. Both movies involved more or less the same stopovers too… a party, a stay at a scary redneck’s house with his hot wife, and of course a glorious extended cameo Neil Patrick Harris.
Ah, NPH. He was truly the highlight of the first Harold and Kumar flick and was well on his way to shining bright in this one when… well, something goes wrong at a whorehouse (isn’t that always the case?). I’ll leave it at that.
The movie tries to get political with its “racially charged, unjustly imprisoned” plot line, but it’s too stupid to be taken seriously. I certainly wouldn’t have been the jerk that Rob Corddry’s character is, but I definitely would have arrested them and locked down the airport given their behavior and the evidence in their possession (Although he does have a great line while interrogating Harold: "Hey! Zip it, Hello Kitty!"). The movie’s George W. Bush impersonator could have at least fired off of some liberal shots, but his impression of the president is so poor it’s kills any humor that might have grown from it.
Still, Kal Penn and John Cho make a great team. I doubt there will be a Harold and Kumar III, but I'll probably go ahead and watch anything they do together.
Ultimately, given the choice of Guantanamo Bay and White Castle, I’ll pick White Castle every time.
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