Blending extreme gross-out laughs with solemn pauses to mull problematic issues along the race divide in America and related civil rights abuses, Harold And Kumar Escape To Guantanamo Bay gives new meaning to the notion that you can nearly die laughing, in its own weird way. All of which tends to keep the humor from slipping entirely into pretty revolting territory, just when you think it will for good.
John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold and Kumar are still those lovable Jersey hopeless dopers, and in this followup to their White Castle caper, the two are off to Amsterdam instead, with designer bong in fist and thoughts of some quality cross-continental lust in the air. But after an unpleasant episode of racial profiling encountered at the airport, even worse bad news awaits them on the plane, when their smoking bong is mistaken for a bomb.
The unfortunate pair are them secretly shipped off to Guantanamo instead, where they’re assigned orange outfits and a cell with a goat, don’t ask. But as luck would have it, a prison sex slave rebellion that has something to do with an organ sandwich, allows them to escape by hitching a boat ride with Cubans off to the US in search of their very own Tvos. Though arriving back on American soil down South turns out to be a really mixed blessing, as Harold and Kumar dodge vigilantes mistaking them for Mexican illegals, and even end up fleeing a miniature Klan canine.
But far worse, is detention at the hands of a deranged Homeland Security official who uses the Bill of Rights in rather unmentionable ways, having to do with toileting skills that leave much to be desired. All of which is capped off by a powwow over at George Bush’s secret sex den, along with the most insane gravity-defying airborne shootout that would leave even James Bond feeling mighty wimpy.
Definitely not for the squeamish in the audience, or those with an aversion to having their comedy served up on the raw side, Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay is as shameless as can be. But there’s just something about that ballsy duo and their Blue State versus Red State rant, that’s nearly impossible to resist.
New Line Cinema
Rated R
3 stars
