Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) Review Written by Jon Medina

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Written & Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg

Starring:
John Cho
Kal Penn
Neil Patrick Harris
Rob Corddry

It's 2008 and America's most dynamic duo is back in action. No, not Tango & Cash. It's Harold & Kumar, the world's greatest stoned rangers since Cheech & Chong. This is no half baked performance, but if you're expecting high artistic merit, you're in the wrong place. (Much like the group of 6 elderly people who walked out of the theater about 15 minutes into the film. I have no idea why they were there in the first place.)

If you enjoyed the first Harold & Kumar film, you're going to like this one, too, but you're probably not going to like it as much. But the film has enough going for it that if there is a third one (stay through the closing credits and you may be led to believe that the door is definitely open) you will probably rush out to see that one, as well. Sure, it's dumb, raunchy and, well, pointless, but it's also a whole lot of fun. I don't feel the need to go into much detail here because once you've seen the preview, most of you already know if you're going to see this movie or not. It's not one of those films you'll be on the fence about seeing. Either you're going to be into it, or you're not going to touch it with a ten foot bong.

Instead of going to Amsterdam, the fellas get mistaken as terrorists and are detained by officials at the airport. They are shortly taken to Guantanamo Bay and almost as quickly escape from there and hi-jinx, inevitably, ensue as the boys encounter a "bottomless party", (topless parties are old hat) an inbred freak show of a little boy in a pimped out trailer home, a KKK meeting and a whorehouse with NPH. And they top it all off by accidentally crashing the President's vacation pad. For a moment, the film actually gets semi-political and I actually had a bit of sympathy for old W when I thought of my old theory that he's simply a puppet that got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time with the most evil puppet masters money can buy. (I always picture him texting dear old George Herbert Walker this simple message: "Daddy, I don't wanna be President no more :( -- W") But then I remembered I was at a stoner comedy, (I'm not a big fan of the term either, but I don't know what else to call it) which was aided by the fact that soon, H & K were getting blazed with the Head of State. Beat that, Method Man & Redman!

Penn and Cho are great as always and while I think Corddry is rather hit or miss, he was great here. Also wonderful was fellow Daily Show alum Ed Helms, who shines as he attempts to translate Harold's parents mysterious dialect which some of you may know as English. I would have liked to see more NPH, but even a little bit of Neil Patrick Harris is a good thing. Also back are David Krumholz and Eddie Kaye Thomas, who are questioned by the overzealous G-men in association with their buddies' so-called terrorist activities. A disguised Christopher Meloni also returns, this time as a KKK head. On one last note, an enjoyable leftfield performance was given by one Eric Winter, whom--don't tell anyone--I used to love as Rex DiMera on the Days of Our Lives. (Let's not even talk about Beverly D'Angelo. That was just brutal.)

If you're looking for some mindless entertainment that will make you laugh and forget about your worries for a couple of hours, then this is that kind of movie. But you probably already knew that. This movie is not going to catch anybody off guard or convert anybody who didn't like the first film. But it will delight in its own simple way for the audience that it was made for and in this day and age, that's about all you can ask for sometimes.