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Escape
From Guantanamo Bay
Second Light Comedy by Harold and Kumar
BY RAJ
S. RANGARAJAN *
What
makes the man tick? He can be alternately goofy (H&K
Go to White Castle – in South
Asian Outlook, August 2004) or serious (Dr. Lawrence Kutner in House),
or obsessed (The Namesake). I am
talking of Kal Penn, who with John Cho (Star Trek, American Pie) features
in the sequel Harold & Kumar
Escape From Guantanamo Bay, made after four years.
In
White Castle, Harold and Kumar
tried desperately to find a hamburger place to satisfy their weed-induced
hunger and the hilarious encounters that followed. In Escape
From Guantanamo Bay released recently, Kumar tries to sneak a bong
(water pipe used for smoking) on to a flight to Amsterdam, gets caught and
both he and Harold are sent to prison: where else, but seemingly the most
popular destination for alleged terrorists: Guantanamo Bay. Harold is
actually flying to Amsterdam to find his new love, Maria (Paula Garces)
and Kumar accompanies him as a good friend.
After
some interrogation when Harold and Kumar don typical orange clothes in
prison, and futile attempts at humor with hugely-built guards the story
moves into bizarre territory that includes an escapade from jail, chases
by law enforcement in Miami and Texas and on to a KKK rally and other
funny situations that involves a likeness called President Bush. In Texas,
Kumar catches up with his former college friend, Vanessa (Danneel Harris),
who is on the verge of marriage.
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Photo Credit:
Jaimie Trueblood/New Line Cinema
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While
running from the law in the form of Deputy Chief of Homeland
Security, Ron Fox (played by Rob Corddry) who suspects Harold and
Kumar of terrorist connections the duo get help from an unlikely
benefactor, Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie
Howser, M.D.) who plays himself: His M.O.: heavy use of banned
substances. His visit to a Texas whorehouse where Harold and Kumar
are also entertained with excessive flesh manifestly displayed was
raunchy yet somewhat humorous. Harris has a fairly meaty role and
justifies why he is so much in demand on stage and on the screen (CBS’s
series, How I Met Your
Mother). Cast members from the previous movie are also seen
here in varied roles including Errol Sitahal (Dr. Patel), Clyde
Kusatsu (Mr. Lee) and Mary Deese (Mrs. Lee) in cameo.
White
Castle didn’t do too well
at the box office four years ago, and one wonders if this movie
too will meet the same fate considering that the racy theme
overflows with expletives and below-the-belt (literally) graphics.
Four-letter words run the gamut and at times unnecessarily which
do not move the story or a scene. Frontal nudity has been handled
without too much fuss though loud shrieks were heard in the cinema
hall. The movie is “R” rated for sexual content and nudity by
the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
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A
parachute landing through the roof of the U.S. President’s drawing room
was comical except that there were no marshals or other staff in the
building. The alarms didn’t go off when the parachute landed (remember,
we are talking of the President!). The spoof went a step further when
“George W. Bush” talks glibly of weeds and smoking and as one would
expect, becomes buddies with the “fugitives” Harold and Kumar.
Hayden
Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz who wrote the earlier White
Castle story also directed this one with commendable skill. Kal Penn
says, “This is not just any comedy, but a comedy that is really smartly
written.”
In
both the Harold & Kumar movies
two actors of Asian origin, a Korean-American
(Harold Lee, the banker) and an Indian-American (Kumar Patel, the
medical student) “puncture ethnic stereotypes” as quoted by Stephen
Holden in The New York Times.
Both films manage to not offend any sensibilities though a scene at the
airport (something we can relate to) grazes the line a tad specially since
the person monitoring them is “black.” Harold and Kumar are perhaps
this generation’s “odd couple.”
Being
the second in the H&K series, the novelty component was absent though Kumar’s
sloppy but endearing habits were shown in ample measure with Harold being
the balanced, organized one. Both Kal Penn and John Cho have matured in
their roles though the film starts out as though Harold and Kumar went to White
Castle the previous day.
[Raj
S. Rangarajan, a New York based trends writer, covers
art and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays
for publications in the United States, Canada, Australia and India.
He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.]
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