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DokBrowne [ 5.5 ]
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If not for this spring's ominously lackluster trailers, I would've been sorely disappointed in this. Fortunately I was prepared. Fault lies primarily in the forced, predictable jokes, so unlike the endearing, seemingly incidental absurdism of the first movie, which felt as though it had nothing to prove. This sequel succumbs to trying to meet higher demands of nastiness and perversity, yielding pitiful results. The pot gags, political digs, sexual material (like in the beginning when he's masturbating, they throw in a quick shot of semen hitting his face, for no reason whatsoever, nor executed in a funny way, merely for shock value, such a low, worthless approach), and everything else feel contrived to elicit reflexive responses from stupid people. They totally lack the left-field charm and underlying intellect (yep) of the first movie. It also feels more episodic too, despite the original being nothing more than a string of unique chapters itself. The plot is way too eventful this time, to say nothing of the cheesy, hoary old device of throwing in a long-forgotten love interest, or the inexcusable underuse of David Krumholtz. Then there's Rod Cordrry...jeez. He's still doing the exact same "Daily Show" schtick even though it makes no sense in this context - no one, not even in this movie's universe, could be as utterly stupid as his character. There's a loathsome scene in which he interrogates H & K's parents, utilizing the potentially amusing concept of a minority speaking English but a racist/ignorant white person confusing it for a bizarre foreign dialect (although I think it's been done before anyhow), and it plays out so far-fetched and with such a stupidly hateful tone that it makes everyone look bad. It's true that "Harold & Kumar" doesn't represent a realistic world (they ride a toked-up cheetah through the city in movie #1) but to treat it like one that's downright nonsensical like a "Daily Show" sketch is going too far, particularly considering the series' ulterior motive of exposing a variety of actual forms of bigotry in society. Hard to pull off when played broadly enough to create its own harmful stereotypes.
So yeah the movie was weak, and even John Cho and Kal Penn don't seem fresh anymore. Cho over-acts badly (such as whenever he loses his temper) and Penn is too smug by far. Still I want to give the movie a recommendation for being likable, and having a few funny parts here and there (sorry, I laughed at that guy's incredibly bushy pubic region) but it deserves a lower one than it's getting still. They lost the magic, alas, and now it just feels like every other desperately raunchy, sloppily-produced sex comedy of late. I almost want to blame Penn himself, who's ascension from sidekick to leading man in the similarly-oriented (and pretty bad) "Van Wilder" movies seems like a direct precursor to this limp outing, which could practically be retitled "Van Wilder 3: Taj Goes to Europe" with intended audiences none the wiser.
But Neil Patrick Harris is a highlight. The effect of his appearance should be diminished this time that it's no longer a wtf? surprise (he's now listed in the opening credits), but his few moments on screen are easily the best the movie has to offer.
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jeff_v [ 5.5 ]
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Alas, it's just not as funny as the first one. It's cruder, and most of the best stuff is recycled (still gotta love NPH). But it gets points for being the only American movie I know of that suggests Bush knows the details of the torture program he authorized.
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Dancing_P [ 5.5 ]
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I'll admit that I quite liked the first film; it's stoner humor done right, with a clever sublimation of ethnic stereotypes usually found in this kind of film. It's subversive in its dunderheaded way. That said, I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit for a sequel. Bad news, then: Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is much dumber than its predecessor. It recycles a lot of jokes, piles on the ridiculousness (this is in comparison to a film that had its protagonists riding a cheetah) and features more than a few stereotypes that don't seem to be subverting dick. Yet Kal Penn and John Cho riff off each other so well that it's extremely hard not to fall for the film's questionable charms.
It picks up where we left off: Harold (Cho) is following the girl of his dreams to Amsterdam, tagging best bud Kumar (Penn) along. Kumar also decides to bring a bong along, which somehow leads to them getting their asses tossed in Guantanamo Bay after being mistaken for terrorists. They narrowly escape a lifetime of anal rape and make their way to Texas, where the douchebag that Kumar's One True Love is marrying may help them get paroled.
The most unnecessary addition is Rob Coddry as the agent on their tail. It's too serious yet retarded a role for someone like Coddry; instead of turning expectations on their head by casting a dramatic actor, it seems lazy and familiar. Add to that some downright embarassing scenes and you've got a film much closer to what detractors accused the first film of being. It's still frequently quite funny (thanks in great part to the leads) but it gives you way more reasons not to laugh than the first one.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.0 |
| No. Ratings | : 6 | |
| No. Reviews | : 4 | |
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