Harold and Kumar: Escape From G. Bay

Back in 2004 a comedy starring “that Asian guy from American Pie” and “that Indian guy from Van Wilder” hit the theaters, made a coupe of people laugh, and then quickly left. Yes, the first Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) flick was what they call a “bomb”, but managed to find a strong audience when it hit DVD. I was even one of those people who rediscovered the movie on DVD. I did catch it in the theater but wasn’t too impressed, but upon second viewing I found myself warming up to these stoner characters.

Well, said characters are back and this time running from the law. Moments after the duo finished their trip to White Castle they’ve boarded a plane to Amsterdam to track down Harold’s one true love. Problems arise on the flight and the two get mistaken for terrorists. Things go from bad to worse when they meet super-ignorant Homeland Security officer Ron Fox (Rob Corddry) who sends them to Guantanamo Bay.

I had fun with Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay. However, I don’t think it’s superior to the first one, and I’m even a little hesitant to call this a sequel. Sure it starts exactly where the first one ends, but it plays out exactly like the previous flick, so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody were to call it a remake.

Harold and Kumar set out for a destination, but get caught up in some craziness that delays them, they meet a lot of colorful characters on the way, including a return from favorite Neil Patrick Harris, and a trip into the deep south where their welcomed into the home of a “hillbilly” couple – stop me if this sounds familiar. Their crazy adventure even ends with an over the top aerial stunt.

It’s really quite surprising how similar it is to the first one, it’s a perfect mimic beat for beat, with some scenes just being done on a larger scale. Some will probably see this as a major negative. But like I said above, I had fun with the flick, regardless of how similar it turned out to be.

Also much like the first movie the jokes come at a rapid pace, with some of them falling completely flat and some resulting in huge laughs. You get the sense that writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who also take on directing duties this time, are simply playing the law of averages – throw enough jokes at the audience and their bound to laugh at some of them.

Rob Corddry is the new addition to the cast and really the only “new” thing for the flick. His portrayal of an overly aggressive “super-patriotic” government agent is funny at times, but ultimately proves to be the weakest part of the movie. Whenever he pops up on screen, displaying his crazy tactics in hunting down Harold and Kumar, you’re just wishing they were actually on screen instead.

Overall, Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay was pretty entertaining, and I wouldn’t mind seeing these two characters get caught up in more crazy adventures.