Movies / Movie Reviews

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

By Beth Davies-Stofka
June 11, 2008 - 21:00

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Produced by: Carsten Lorenz, Joe Drake, Toby Emmerich
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Eric Winter, David Krumholtz, Neil Patrick Harris
Genre: Comedy and Sequel
Release Date: April 25th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language and drug use.
Distributors: New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Ron Fox, the Homeland Security official played by Rob Corddry in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, roars that the national security of the United States is not a joke.  Naturally, then, national security is the movie's running joke.  The main target for its satire is the way in which the "war on terror" has become a cover for racism and ignorance in America.

The movie picks up where 2004's hit comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle left off.  Harold and Kumar are on their way to Amsterdam, each in his own way seeking true love.  Once they are on the plane, the movie exploits the way in which young men of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent are sometimes suspected – or outright feared – by fellow passengers.  Through a series of unfortunate mishaps, Harold and Kumar are arrested by air marshals and handed over to Homeland Security.  Corddry's Fox, a self-righteous and stupid man, looks at the two hapless guys and concludes that North Korea and al-Qaida are collaborating.  Harold and Kumar are sent to Guantanamo Bay.

The two take advantage of a security breach at the prison to escape, and then embark on a road trip to Texas, where they believe they can clear their names.  What follows is a series of escapades that routinely ridicule the ignorance of drawing conclusions about people based on their skin color, place of birth, or accent.

The movie is silly and implausible, and it doesn't draw coherent conclusions about the problems of racism in national security.  Moreover, the funniest part of the movie, driven by scene-stealer Neil Patrick Harris, is off the topic.  Still, it's admirable that a film that gets so much traction from making fun of American-style racism never congratulates itself that neither of its stars is white.  They're just Harold and Kumar, appealingly and hilariously portrayed by John Cho and Kal Penn.  The movie's funny and worth seeing, perhaps on cable, just to learn how things work out for these wonderfully likeable fellows.

Rating: 6 / 10

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51