This time, they're running away from the joint (Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (DVD))

Member Name: midpikyrozziy

Product:	Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (DVD)
Date:	07/04/09 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hilariously funny playing on sterotypes and prejudice, good acting

Disadvantages: Poor storyline, not as good as the first film

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Intro:
The world was first introduced to Harold and Kumar when, in 2004, the lovable pair debuted with the hit stoner comedy 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle', a tale of the troubles the two faced when trying to reach their favorite fast food outlet, after getting 'the munchies'.Unique, experimental, and hilarious, Harold and Kumar looked set to increase in fame and popularity when 'Escape From Guantanamo Bay' was released, and a third film has already been announced.

Plot:
Starting literally only a few minutes after the ending sequences of the first film, 'Escape from Guantanamo Bay' begins with America's favorite pothead pals Harold Lee and Kumar Patel preparing to fly to Amsterdam so that Harold can pursue a budding romance with his neighbor, and of course to legally smoke weed. At the airport, Kumar manages to smuggle some of his marijuana on the plane, and is eager to try out his new invention, a smokeless bong. However, when an old lady sees him lighting the bong, she suspects him to be a terrorist, and when he shouts "It's just a bong!" he makes things worse for himself, as he gets misheard and the passengers think he's bragging about having a bomb.

Despite their protests of innocence, Harold and Kumar get detained, and sent to the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention camp, their respective races serving as the only evidence the prosecutors need. Here they must face troubles from both the prison guards and inmates, and in the nick of time they're grateful to have the opportunity to escape when some fellow inmates stage a break-out.
They're now faced with only one option - to return to the USA and clear their names. However, as expected, their expedition is not without obstacles, and a whole host of zany characters lie before them. Can the fugitives clear their name in time, or will it be back to Guantanamo?

Characters, Acting, Directing and Writing:

Acting and Characters:
John Cho as Harold Lee:
Harold Lee is the good, well-behaved, half of the brilliant comedy duo, the yin to Kumar's yang. He works hard, and after a long hard day at the office, he likes to get stoned, which unites him with the similarly likewise minded Kumar.He comes from an Asian background, but his parents speak fluent English with strong American accents, indicating that his family has probably lived in America for at least a few generations, although this doesn't stop the racial oppression he is on the receiving end of on much of his travels.

Cho is very good as Lee, a man who appreciates the values of working hard, fine films and literature, and also the occasional spliff. He portrays a very believable character, and has made the role his own.
4/5

Kal Penn as Kumar Patel:
Kumar is a 22 year old Indian medical student, living the easy life with his room-mate Harold; smoking pot, enjoying a life of leisure, and trying his hardest not to get a job, despite his remarkable intellect.
He also speaks with an American accent, but the racial prejudice still affects him; the theme of racism being a very strong area of laughs in the film.

Penn is everything Kumar needed to be; quirky, clever, and outrageously funny. He delivers a brilliant performance that completes the second half of a wonderful double act.
5/5

Other actors:
No other actor in the film has much of a role, but their are some nice cameo performances, particularly from Neil Patrick Harris, who plays a fictionalized version of himself in which he's a heavy drug user and womanizer (despite being openly gay in real life).
Another nice addition was the performances of Harold and Kumar's orthodox Jewish friends Rosenberg and Goldstein (Thomas and Krumholtz) whose roles in the film have led to ideas of a spin-off movie for them.

The cast generally acts very well in the film, and there are lots of surprise performances and cameos from a good acting team, which is vital in any film.
4/5

Directing and Writing:
The film was co-directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who also wrote the script for both films, although White Castle was directed by Danny Leiner.

They bring lots of new ideas to the film, using their directing and writing skills to play around with racial issues a lot. An example of this is the first scene when Kumar is on the plane. We see him normally, and then switch to the viewpoint of a white American lady. Immediately, Kumar turns from normal citizen into Osama Bin Laden-esque terrorist, laughing and threatening to blow up the plane. Whilst obviously exaggerated, this scene still remains hilarious and to a certain point true as to the views of many.
They also use a lot of sex and drugs to generate their laughs in the film, which isn't exactly the most intelligent form of humor, but still very amusing nonetheless. All in all, the directors have carried on from the good work of the first film and delivered another nice movie here.

4/5

Conclusion:
Overall, I would recommend this film to anyone who is able to laugh at some of the more sensitive issues like race, and also enjoys the easier humor of sex and drugs. However, one criticism of the film would be that it has no real storyline, and while the same thing could be said about the first film, it was on a much lower scale, and didn't really matter then.

It's no classic, and is probably not as good as the first Harold and Kumar, but if you ever have a boring evening when nothing's on TV, then this is the perfect film. Guaranteed to make you cry with laughter in parts, and even contains a bit of romance and drama, Harold and Kumar is one of those films that always delivers some golden moments of comedy, and can be enjoyed by all.

Summary: Not as good as the first film, but still a nice film to watch