SXSW Review: Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 9, 2008

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayThe fans of the cult classic Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle have waited four long years to see their favorite pothead heroes on the big screen again. If you haven’t seen the first Harold & Kumar then this one might not be for you, but nonetheless Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay is the best comedy so far for 2008.

The plot is simple and basically leaves off from the last film. Harold has just scored big with the girl of his dreams and wants to surprise her by trying to meet up in Amsterdam. Well as the title indicates, the two end up in some trouble and are extradited to Guantanamo Bay. They spend the rest of the movie fighting racial profiling and the United States Government, while trying to clear their names and make their way to Amsterdam.

What the first movie did well, was to mask a very smart and funny social commentary beneath the hilarious cult classic drug comedy fame of Cheech and Chong-like proportions. Needless to say, the second film did not deliver the same one-two punch. The sequel was funny but not smart, and consequently this might cause a divide in the audience. While the original had something funny and smart to say about racism and prejudice, this film tries to say the same thing but only ends up crude and somewhat overdone.

The film was very funny, and very enjoyable. It does however give a high contrast to the original, and while it is enjoyable I still find myself wanting to watch the first film again, instead of watching the sequel anymore. I will also say that it was confusing and annoying that some of the best parts were spoiled by the trailer. Not only that fact that the parts in the trailer were funny, just that they were setups for jokes in the film that were subsequently ruined. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay is worth a look, but ends up as just another funny movie without anything special to talk about.

Grade: C+

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is not yet rated. It is directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who wrote Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and it stars John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry and Neil Patrick Harris. It will be released by New Line Cinema on April 25th.

Harold and Kumar 2


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  • the best comedy so far in '08 is a C+? wow, i hope things look up for the rest of it!
  • Jane
    I enjoyed the first Harold and Kumar movie, but this one was a steaming pile of crap, pardon the expression. We walked out of the SXSW premiere. Story matters, even in comedy. This movie had none. It was a LAZY attempt by the writer/directors to ride on the coat tails of the first movie. Talented actors like Neil Patrick Harris should never have signed on to do this one. I think a C+ is generous. And why is it that female nudity is always sexualized and usually gratuitous, while male nudity is considered funny and is not at all sexualized in comedies like these? How are women supposed to relate to this movie? I wish Hollywood would grow up!
  • Unknown
    This movie has tons of frontal nudity. It shows a penis and tons (and tons) of boobs and vagina. If you dont' want tons and tons of boobs and vagina, dont' watch this movie. ;)
  • John
    Rob Corddry ruined this movie...., No one in real life is that dumb. Much like how Michael is ruining the office.
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