Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) Reviews

• Harold & Kumar do it again

  JustCuriosity2008-03-09

  As a fan of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I really didn't think they could recapture the magic of the first film in the sequel. Sequels are, so often, horrible disappointments. But the World Premiere of Harold & Kumar Escape from Gauntanamo Bay last night as Austin's SXSW Film Festival was simply awesome. The audience loved America's favorite slackers on their next adventure as their trip to Amsterdam goes incredibly wrong. Whereas the first film challenged racism and stereotyping, this one continued the theme into issues of racial profiling and War on Terror paranoia. These multicultural slackers are becoming American every-men that we can all relate to. While there are times when Harold & Kumar's antics are just plain silly, they are also incredible human characters who are struggling with real challenges around parents, romance, friendship, the law, and race. Harold & Kumar make us laugh while they also challenge our perceptions and expectations of social and political reality. Cho and Penn were wonderful reprising their original roles. Neal Patrick Harris was back again as a strange variant of himself. Rod Corddry provides a wonderful addition to the cast as the completely paranoid government agent. Overall, the film is perhaps a tad below the original, but a tad below excellent is still a wonderful comic romp that all fans of the original and many new fans should enjoy. Unlike the first film which gained a cult following on DVD, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guatanamo Bay will undoubtedly be a huge hit in the theaters. The audience here in Austin absolutely loved the two lovable anti-heroes. I look forward to many more adventures from Harold and Kumar.

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• Donuts are awesome!

  Smells_Like_Cheese2008-04-30

  I am getting so addicted to Harold and Kumar's crazy adventures, it's just pathetic, when I saw Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I was hooked and bought the movie the next day. So obviously I was so excited to see Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, saw it opening day and it's non stop laughs still! Now, I do hate gross humor, it's disgusting and unoriginal, yet, somehow, Harold and Kumar make it so unbelievably funny. They're back and this time they are taking the world by storm! Kal Penn and John Cho are such a great pair and made this sequel so much fun to watch. I agree, it does get offensive at times, but if you don't take this movie seriously, I think you'll be laughing too. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is one of the funniest movies I have seen this year in the theater. Harold and Kumar are on their way to Amsterdam to visit Harold's love, Maria, but of course, Kumar just can't wait until they get to Amsterdam, so he smokes on a plane, but everyone mistakes the bong for a bomb and Harold and Kumar get thrown into Guantanamo Bay. When they have the chance, they take it. When they finally arrive back in America, they got to meet Kumar's ex girlfriend's fiancée who could pull some strings to get their charges clear, but the way to Texas is a long road and they have to face some interesting obstacles. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay was so much fun to watch, I loved this sequel, the cast looked like they had the ultimate blast making this film. The scenes that got huge laughs from me was when the FBI agent offers grape soda to a guy to get information about where Harold and Kumar were, and some guy in the back round says "How about some Kool Aid?!", also the scene with the return of the weed bag with Kumar and his ex girlfriend was so weird, that it was actually funny. If you loved Harold & Kumar go to White Castle, you'll love Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, it's a comedy not to miss. 8/10

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• Beware! Its a comedy roller coaster

  prateekarora2008-04-29

  Oh my god, I still don't know what hit me. I have been a big fan of the first part but this one is a different league guys. Not a single boring moment, very nice editing. And our favorite characters have done it again. They didn't leave a single stereotype and ignorance untouched in the movie. Trust me it will not be fair to compare the White Castle part with this one, as this is just a different experience no less than a roller coaster ride of genuine comedy. This movie has taken what it did in the first one, to the next but different level. To point out, as pretty clear from the uncensored trailers, it was awesome to see NPH and G "Dubya" Bush. Cho and Penn are just non-stop fun and have some really hot girl friends. From Ta-Ta's of girls to bottom less parties, nothing felt out of place. We also get to know allot about H&K's past. It deserves a standing ovation and that's what it got from the audience in the theater. Oh man, I am so getting this on DVD when the extended unrated version comes out.

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• Y2K?…Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

  jaredmobarak2008-04-27

  If you enjoyed Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and have any reservations about the sequel, fear not. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay may not be quite the same as its predecessor, but it brings enough of the story mechanics back and the stoner humor that made it a cult success. Writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, also serving as directors this time around, have upped the ante like the sequel cliché goes. There is more nudity, (with a bottomless party, how could there not?), a lot more swearing, and just plain old vulgarities every single second. As for the premise's blatant sending up of racial stereotypes and epithets, even those get a shot of adrenaline going from the city streets of Alabama, a KKK kegger, and the bigoted government officials unable to decipher the weird Chinese dialect, called English, spoken by Harold's parents. It definitely isn't pretty, bodily fluids flow freely, but the laughs never cease. When your goal is to bring the funny and there are times in the theatre when one can't hear the next line because of uproarious laughter, you know success is yours. The beauty of this film is the amount of fun you know these guys are having. To get all the principals back for a second go round of a film that did no bank at the box office is quite the feat. Sure DVD sales and internet buzz was huge for the original, but did anyone ever think the boys would actually get to Amsterdam on the big screen? I know I didn't have that much faith. People could badmouth this effort very easily for many reasons, most obvious is the fact that it is pretty much the exact same film as the first. Yet, there were very few instances where I wasn't laughing let alone smiling at the proceedings. When else can you see a nod to the classics like The Goonies done so well? My biggest concern going in was with the war on terrorism satire that the trailers tried so hard to get across. When you put in an actor to play someone like George W. Bush, it can backfire and go completely awry. Surprisingly, though, that scene, amongst others, is actually pretty well done. The ineptitude of the American government is portrayed often—and actor Rob Corddry is the worst part of the film spearheading that aspect; I just don't like his schtick—yet there is always someone there to play the other side (Roger Bart) and show that while they know there are mistakes, they aren't a bunch of buffoons going around willy-nilly. If nothing else this film should be credited for finally having the guts to poke fun at the tragedy of 9-11. It's been so long and I think that humor is necessary for any sort of healing process. To have the fortitude to do the airplane scene with Kumar laughing in his Taliban garb motioning a crashing airport is not something to tread with lightly. Hurwitz and Schlossberg decided to go pedal to the metal with this film and they never make a compromise, kudos to them for that. The film begins right where the first left off and everyone is still in the same frame of mind. To add a little spice to the mix, we do get introduced to a new character, Vanessa, an old flame of Kumar's. Being that she is about to marry an aspiring politician, the inclusion not only plays into the need of a love interest, (Maria is still in Amsterdam, and of course we all know the boys don't make it off the plane to see her), but also into the ability to bring the government in through his connections. Being on the cusp of even having the President attend his wedding, who better to go to for help in absolving their terrorist accusations? Vanessa is well played by the attractive Danneel Harris in a role that doesn't get much screen time. She is, however, involved in probably my favorite scene of the film—a flashback on how she meets Kumar and shows him the world of narcotics. It is a fantastic sequence helping to align his brains with the lifestyle he has begun to live in…and there is a brilliant cameo by Harold that brought the house down. Of course the movie would be nothing without John Cho and Kal Penn, the titular characters respectively. Their rapport is fully intact and the shenanigans they get into are the impetus of the story. It's a shame that Cho is in practically nothing and Penn has been relegated to roles without lines (Superman Returns) and television ("24" and "House") because they could do so much better (as evidenced with The Namesake). This is their film and they do not disappoint, right until the end credits. There are a lot of cameos here as well, mostly from people that we saw in the original. Playing themselves in either stereotypical ways or as the butt of a racial joke, it's good to see them have a sense of humor. If only everyone in real life could have that attitude they wouldn't be cultivating racism by the sheer fact they accuse everyone of it. While that is probably another discussion for another time, at least this broad comedy has enough cultural value to realize it and put it into the minds of college kids for whom the film targets. Oh, and did I mention Neil Patrick Harris? No? Well that must be because he is so brilliant words can't even describe. What a conclusion to his arc, just fantastic.

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• Delightfully Offensive!

  FwankFwank2008-08-15

  I loved the first one, and couldn't wait to see the next one. Most of its humor is either racial, sexual, or drug-related, so if you aren't into that, steer clear of this one. If you can appreciate that type of humor you will be laughing throughout the entire movie. It is also filled with many ridiculous "wtf" funny moments, reminiscent of the cheetah scene from the last movie. The movie itself isn't offensive, but a lot of the characters are, and Neil Patrick Harris returns once again and really stole the show for me. Some of the jokes are derived from the first movie, so I really recommend seeing the first one before you see this to get acquainted with the characters. So go grab some friends and get ready to laugh, one of the funniest movies of the year!

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