Harold & Kumar Escape from
Guantanamo Bay
Review
by Sean Lynch
I read
somewhere that studios release stoner movies fully aware that they
won't make any money back from it until it hits DVD, due solely to the
fact that their audience are usually too stoned to leave their house
and go to the cinema.
And, when you think about it, it kind of
makes sense. Because some of the greatest cult comedies of all time
have made $0 when it comes to box office bank: Grandma's Boy,
Billy
Madison, Van Wilder - the list goes on.
So
it's difficult to work out what it is about an interracial stoner
couple
that brought out $40M+ of the American viewing public from their pot
fueled havens.
The original tale of Harold
& Kumar Go To White Castle made a minor
dint at the box office just under half a decade ago - but
became an Austin Powers
sized
success on DVD. And there is little wonder - it is easily one of the
funniest comedies to be released in a very, very long time.
So what do we make of a sequel?
Harold
& Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
kicks off mere moments after the first film ends (much like Quantum of Solace
follows straight on from Casino Royale...
except with less weed) with Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) on
route to Amsterdam for a week of girls ... and weed.
However, things don't quite go as planned while trying to
sneak a "smokeless bong" on board the flight.
Now,
suspected of terrorism, they are forced to run from the law and
try to find a way to prove their innocence. What follows is yet another
epic road trip throughout the States - proving once again that the only
thing to fear... is Americans.
While
nowhere near as consistent as the first, there are still some A-Grade
laughs delivered throughout Harold & Kumars second cinematic
outing. From red-necks to unicorns to a pretty decent George W. Bush
impersonation (although, I still stand by the fact that nothing will
ever be funnier than the man himself) there are enough skit-sized comic
adventures to keep proceedings running at a healthy pace.
The real key to Harold
& Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay's
success is by keeping things as familiar as possible, without ever
feeling overtly repetitive - and of course - the return of NPH.
Doogie
takes his time getting on screen, but when he arrives - he delivers the
goods (and the phrase "making my balls wet"). Sadly, any joy given by
the appearance of Neil Patrick Harris is slightly diluted thanks
largely to the fact he has delivered gags 20 times better as the
similarly toned Barney in How I Met Your Mother.
That
said, it's still a pretty solid effort - especially for a sequel - and
this will happily enter the realm of 'drunken classic' in a few years
time like its predecessor. And how can it not? There is, after all, the
"fisting" of a giant bag of weed.
Let's just hope a third is on it's way, despite what the ending leads
you to believe...
3 out
of 5
Harold
& Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Australian release: September
4th, 2008
Official
Website: Harold & Kumar Escape From
Guantanamo Bay
Cast:
John Cho, Kal Penn, Paula Gaerces, Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Jon Hurwitz and Hay
Schlossberg
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