Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (New Line Cinema)
Help Me Escape From This Movie!
John Cho and Kal Penn return to the screen as Harold and Kumar. These college buddies have a new series of adventures and once again meet up with Neil Patrick Harris. Along the way they get imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, meet the President, smoke some weed, and pursue their girlfriends. It is supposed to be a series of comic scenes but the comedy gets layered over with crudity and nudity resulting in another movie that is embarrassing to watch.
When the movie starts Harold (Cho) and Kumar (Penn) are getting ready to fly to Amsterdam so that Harold can see his girlfriend Maria (Paula Garces). Once on the plane the duo are mistaken for terrorists because Kumar has a bong in the bathroom that people think is a bomb. The two are arrested and taken to Guantanamo Bay.
They manage to escape but are constantly pursued by Homeland Security Officer Ron Fox (Rob Corddy). Harold and Kumar are trying to reach Texas where Harolds friend Colton (Eric Winter) lives. Harold thinks Colton can help them with their legal troubles. He also is the guy who is getting ready to marry Kumars ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Danneel Harris). Kumar isnt over her and hopes to stop the wedding.
Along the way they just happen to hitch a ride with Neil Patrick Harris who is played by Neil Patrick Harris, just as he was in the original movie. For some reason the idea of Neil Patrick being a coarse womanizer strikes some people as hilarious. He plays the same type of character on the TV series How I Met Your Mother but with less profanity and crude terms.
Both Cho and Penn are good actors. They have proven so in other projects. In this film they dont get to act much, but rather react to the chaos around them. Plus this time out the characters are not as likeable as they were the first time. Kumar especially is a real dolt and is more annoying than entertaining.
The movie is full of offensive scenes geared toward the lowest common denominator of humor. It goes way beyond the Judd Apatow smutty brand of comedy and establishes a new level of coarseness. For some that is a good thing and for others it is not.
The film is rated R for profanity, full male and female nudity, and crude situations.
There are some serious elements thrown into the film such as racial profiling, limited rights, and lack of freedoms. We only get glimpses of these problems before we are off and running on a new sex joke. There are also some very cheap shots taken at President Bush.
There will certainly be an audience for this film. Say enough crude words, or show some nudity and you will get people to watch. But funny Entertaining The answers are no and no.
I scored Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay an imprisoned 3 out of 10.
