Harold and Kumar 2: The Wrong Way Down the Political Road

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle set a standard for the modern stoner flick and the journey movie. The point is not where you're going, but the adventures on the way, be them drunken, stoned, illegal, or perverted. There is a fine line, though, about the movie being about the things along the journey and the journey being an excuse for what's along the way. Harold and Kkumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay crosses that line, being the lesser of the two movies.

Harold Lee and Kumar Patel (John Cho and Kal Penn) pick up where White Castle left off. The two grab plane tickets to go to Amsterdam so they can catch up with Harold's beloved Maria and enjoy the weed capital of the world. Along the way they bump into Kumar's ex, Vanessa (Danneel Harris), who is marrying a generic, rich, white, asshole boyfriend in a few days. The boys load the plane, and eventually Kumar reveals his bong, not able to wait to get a hit. It is mistaken for a bomb and the two are detained by an overzealous Homeland Security Agent (Rob Corddy) commanding a sensible NSA agent (Roger Bart is perfectly humble to counter Corddy's performance).

Long story short, they escape Guantanamo Bay, go to the US with some Cuban immigrants, and then make a roadtrip to Texas, in hopes of having Vanessa's politically strong fiance help them get cleared. Kumar, of course, intends to screw up the wedding and run from the law later.

The problem with the journey this time is the scenes are more focused on stereotypes turned on their head than exaggerations of real people. We watch Harold and Kumar's reactions instead of their involvement, the scenes are more of skits and punchlines like SNL. In the first one, they go to a business college to see about getting more weed, using Harold's invitation to a nerdy business club to get in. The nerds are all Asian and incredibly dorky, idolizing Harold's accounting job, and they invite him to a party after the meeting which he declines, only to find it is a wild party with weed. Harold is part of this dialogue and conversation, Kumar part of the persuasion to force him to the meeting, and Harold is himself in rejecting the invitation to the party and the regret of it. They are involved and pull themselves along.

In Guantanamo Bay, they are simply passing through and observing, sometimes running. The most involvement they have is with Neil Patrick Harris, reprising his drugged-out role of himself. Although it doesn't live up to its predecessor due to its uninvolvement of its main characters for most of the movie, the pair and their writers are still good at what they do. Turning stereotypes on its head is more fun in the unexpected way, and the movie is still worth a barrel of laughs.

Despite the title, the movie is minimally political message and more mocking such messages. In one scene, Rob Corddy's character wipes his rear end with the Bill of Rights, leaving a smear. The humor isn't in the outrageous, over-the-top action, but in the remark, "Why is your ass so dirty? Don't you wipe?!"

Is it entertaining? Yes, beat only by the first one.

Is it marketable? The political doesn't limit it, but being about stoners still does. Ebert liked the first one, but that was for the roadtrip.

Is it memorable? No. The first one was for its great execution and characters, but here the unexpected is just too far off.

My suggestion: See it for Spring laughs, or just wait for the DVD.