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You can only say the same joke so many times before it becomes old. Two guys want to reach a destination, get high and wander across the country while aimlessly trying to solve their problems, sound familiar? In a plot too akin to the original, "Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay", is a cheap misfire that tries to gain its bearings with political satire to only fall short with recycled jokes.
In the sequel to the college-favorite, "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," the story starts right where it left off on the same day that Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) stumbled back home after their gluttonous meal at the notorious White Castle.
Determined to get to Amsterdam to see Harold's Maria (Paula Garces), the pair head off to the airport anticipating their trip to the Mecca of marijuana.
After a scuffle with airport security, starting the film's trend of attacking America's prejudices, Kumar bumps into his ex-girlfriend Chloe. She leaves the boisterous Kumar tongue-tied after she excitedly tells him about her engagement and we clearly see that this is the beginning of the overdone plot device of the girl that got away. Her fiancé, Colton ("Days of Our Lives" alum, Eric Winter), is a young rich kid on the fast track to the White House who claims President Bush as a close family friend.
Shaken but still ready to embrace the moment, Kumar decides to light up a joint in the bathroom on the flight to Amsterdam. His obvious lack in judgment leads to having his bong mistaken for a bomb after smoke begins to envelope the plane.
While Kumar is tackled down in the aisle, a flustered Harold tries to defend his friend only to be accused of terrorism himself. Grounded immediately after the incident, the boys are interrogated by FBI operative Ron Fox ("Semi-Pros" Rob Corddry), whose character is an obvious pot-shot by the writers at the misguided justice of Homeland Security and its unlawful practices. After little investigation, Fox's eager agent condemns Harold and Kumar to Guantanamo Bay.
They escape with ease and within hours of arriving at the Cuban prison. But the greater challenge now lays back in the states as they must somehow gain back their good-standing with the government by seeking the help of Colton. And they must take another trek cross-country with no identification, no car and no common sense as well as the F.B.I. hot on their heels.
Too much of the film is rooted in a poor attempt at bringing attention to current issues with government politics and policies and yet tries to commingle these sentiments with the standards of the genre including gratuitous nudity, drugs and brainless humor. This combination is toxic for the film's entertainment value as many of the jokes left this reviewer more stone-faced rather than laughing at stoner antics.
Rob Corddry tries too hard to be funny rather than trying a deadpan approach to the role of villain. His presence is overbearing to the point of annoyance and unfortunately for the audience, he is the third-ranked star of the film behind Harold and Kumar
As for the namesakes themselves, their characters show some development since the first film when a little bit of history is revealed about Kumar. The story however, is contrived and ultimately another half-baked attempt at depth in what should be a fun popcorn-flick.
The only two scenes of the movie that remain true to what the film should be are Neil Patrick Harris's portrayal of himself and the smoking session with Bush. Harris's drug-fueled sex binges and cool demeanor, even with two fugitives in his company is a breath of fresh air as it isn't a forced performance.
James Andomian (whose Bush impression is already a regular feature on "The Late Show with Craig Ferguson") gives the other notable performance. His impersonation is on-par with Will Ferrell's famed "Saturday Night Live" reincarnation in that it is an instant crack-up that caused the whole theater to unite in a roar of laughter.
The downfall of the legendary two-some lies in the fact that writers/directors John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg tried entirely too hard to turn the original movie into a smart political statement. They only create a malign movie mash-up that is not at all true to the stoner-comedy roots of the original.
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