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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
By Craig Younkin Published April 25, 2008
US Release: April 25, 2008
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: John Cho , Kal Penn , Roger Bart , Rob Corddry
R strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language and drug use
Running Time: 102 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $38,087,366
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: John Cho , Kal Penn , Roger Bart , Rob Corddry
R strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language and drug use
Running Time: 102 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $38,087,366
B
I didn’t expect to but I had a good time with this one.
“Harold and Kumar” are popular, which is a surprise to me because I don’t really remember them making much of a splash when they went to “White Castle.” But I’m always down for a good comedy and I feel this one fits the bill, probably even more so than its predecessor. This time Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) decide to take a trip to Amsterdam where Harold hopes to meet up with the girl of his dreams, Maria (Paula Garces). As the plane is en-route, Kumar is mistaken for a “bomb carrying terrorist” while the two try to use a bong, sending them both to the Guantanamo Bay detention center. They manage to escape and go on a wild adventure running from Homeland Security, led by Secretary Ron Fox (Rob Corddry), from Miami to President Bush’s home state of Texas in order to clear themselves.
The movie is bad-taste all over the place, featuring such bits as a cum-shot to the face and a form of torture in Guantanamo that I don’t even think Dick Cheney would authorize. It’s also funny and, at times, speaks to the profiling of people based on the usual clichés about different races, cultures, and religions. Some of the lampooning is witty (a drive through an Alabama slum is memorable), while other times it’s just old and tired (Jews like money). And like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” last week, this movie likes the nudity, and this one gives you a whole lot more. A panty-less house party is a very welcome surprise and there is a male nude scene in this that comes close to eclipsing the one in “Sarah Marshall.”
Cho and Penn have a good chemistry together, Cho playing the straight-man to Penn’s wild and wacky sidekick. The supporting players also help these guys out tremendously. Rob Corddry gets the bulk of the discrimination-material and he knocks most of it out of the park. Richard Christy from the “Howard Stern Show” makes an appearance, that alone is good enough for a laugh, as is the brief appearance from Ed Helms of “The Daily Show." James Adomian is a really good George Bush impersonator, Danneel Harris is hot as Kumar’s love interest, and lastly, Neil Patrick Harris makes a hilarious appearance playing a wild, mushroom snorting version of himself.
“Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo” has all the crude fun that one might expect plus a few politically incorrect things to say, and it’s all handled nicely by a strong comic cast. I didn’t expect to but I had a good time with this one.
The movie is bad-taste all over the place, featuring such bits as a cum-shot to the face and a form of torture in Guantanamo that I don’t even think Dick Cheney would authorize. It’s also funny and, at times, speaks to the profiling of people based on the usual clichés about different races, cultures, and religions. Some of the lampooning is witty (a drive through an Alabama slum is memorable), while other times it’s just old and tired (Jews like money). And like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” last week, this movie likes the nudity, and this one gives you a whole lot more. A panty-less house party is a very welcome surprise and there is a male nude scene in this that comes close to eclipsing the one in “Sarah Marshall.”
Cho and Penn have a good chemistry together, Cho playing the straight-man to Penn’s wild and wacky sidekick. The supporting players also help these guys out tremendously. Rob Corddry gets the bulk of the discrimination-material and he knocks most of it out of the park. Richard Christy from the “Howard Stern Show” makes an appearance, that alone is good enough for a laugh, as is the brief appearance from Ed Helms of “The Daily Show." James Adomian is a really good George Bush impersonator, Danneel Harris is hot as Kumar’s love interest, and lastly, Neil Patrick Harris makes a hilarious appearance playing a wild, mushroom snorting version of himself.
“Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo” has all the crude fun that one might expect plus a few politically incorrect things to say, and it’s all handled nicely by a strong comic cast. I didn’t expect to but I had a good time with this one.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
