Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Synopsis
America's favorite pothead pals, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn), return with an uproariously un-PC sequel that skewers everything from racial prejudice to the president of the United States. HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY picks up shortly after the first film, cult favorite HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE, as the boys plan an impromptu trip to the Mecca of Marijuana: Amsterdam. There, Harold will unite with the love of his life and Kumar will achieve cannabis bliss. The two soon find themselves in hot water when Kumar sneaks a bong onto the flight and is mistaken for a bomb-wielding terrorist. Indeed, after a run-in with racist Homeland Security agent Ron Fox (Rob Corddry of THE DAILY SHOW), the two land in the hottest water of all: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After escaping from prison and fleeing back to the U.S., the two set out across country to get help from Harold's politically connected former classmate, who is also marrying the girl that Kumar let get away. Along this oddball odyssey they will encounter incestuous rednecks, the KKK, gun-toting prostitutes, and a drugged-out Neil Patrick Harris (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER). But when the ex-classmate turns the two over to the authorities, Harold and Kumar must use their wits--plus a dash of luck and a dose of humility--to earn their freedom, win back their respective loves, and save their friendship. Original writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg return for both screenwriting and directing credits, ensuring that the budding franchise retains the same subversive sensibility while upping the audacity of its satire. Frequently raunchy but reveling in the bonds of acceptance and friendship, HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY is a madcap romp that delivers plenty of humorous highs.

Reviews
"[A] film that is even more raunchy and raucous than its predecessor....This long strange trip of a sequel also is surprisingly subversive and politically charged." (USA Today)

"[T]he HAROLD & KUMAR movies, of which this is the second...go further than most stoner raunch comedies in acknowledging certain realities of contemporary American life..." (New York Times)

"Cho gives Harold's exasperation vigor and snap, and Penn plays Kumar as a fully fleshed character." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Penn and Cho's appeal as a bickering duo is undiminished...and it's not out of order to talk of a greater emotional depth in this sequel..." (Sight and Sound)

3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he scenes from their college days are a-ma-zing..." (Premiere)

3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's fun catching up with the fellas, as genial and trouble-prone as ever." (Total Film)