Four years ago, Harold and Kumar appeared in the surprise hit “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” Despite delivering two-hours of nonstop bathroom and sex jokes, the film charmed audiences with its fresh take on the stoner comedy.
Now the sequel, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” hopes to repeat the magic by hurling political and social commentary into the mix. Does it work? Well…sort of.
The story takes off almost exactly where the first movie left off, with Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) preparing for their trip to Amsterdam. Harold intends to hook up with his potential future girlfriend Maria (Paula Garces) and Kumar is simply excited to be visiting the weed capital of the world.
Things take a turn for the worse when Kumar attempts to get high in the airplane bathroom, and an old racist woman mistakes his bong for a bomb.
Harold and Kumar find themselves detained by Ron Fox (Rob Corddry), the undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Harold and Kumar are sent to Guantanamo Bay. Taking note of the title, I bet you can figure out where they go from here.
The movie follows the formula of the original, with Harold and Kumar hitting the road and having wacky adventures on their mission to clear their names.
Along the way, they encounter various representations of ethnic and social stereotypes that the movie shatters to great comedic effect.
The sex and poop jokes are interspersed with drug references and, for the most part, they work. It is surprising just how versatile fecal matter can be when applied to the canvas of comedy.
Fans of the first movie will also be pleased to hear that Neil Patrick Harris reprises his role as himself. He plays a much larger role in this movie, and his antics get some of the biggest laughs. Never has drunk driving and abusing hookers been so hilarious!
The movie does fall short in some areas. The romantic subplot between Kumar and his old flame Vanessa (Danneel Harris) is so formulaic and trite my eyes very nearly rolled clear out of my head and across the floor of the theater.
Kumar’s nemesis and Vanessa’s fiancé Colton (Eric Winter) is so incredibly one dimensional and so predictably nefarious that he seems more like a set piece than an actual character.
Still, the movie works well for what it is. Those moviegoers who enjoyed the original will find a lot to love in this installment. As for newcomers, I must suggest that you see the original, as it puts many of the jokes in context. If you are still unsure, there is a litmus test of sorts to see if you will like the movie. Read the next line out loud.
“Doody doody wang schlong poop.”
Did you giggle? If so, then by all means, go see this movie.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Boones
