Harold & Kumar not clever but boldly funny

Harold & Kumar not clever but boldly funny

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY OPENING APRIL 25 Some people go to the movies to watch George Clooney give a respected dramatic performance. Others go to enjoy silly, crude, flat-out dumb jokes about male genitalia and racial stereotypes. I'm a little of both. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is a vile, insane, and yet ballsy piece of filmmaking that won't sit well with the PC crowd - but it's a great way to spend an evening laughing with your friends after a few cocktails. From Gay oral sex jokes to incestuous gaffes, the movie pokes fun at everyone and everything. The sequel to 2004's outrageous Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle begins with its title characters, played by John Cho and Kal Penn, respectively, showering and going number two (told you it was crude) in preparation to catch a plane to Amsterdam. In the first - and admittedly funnier - installment, Harold was last seen kissing a cute Latina named Maria (Paula Garces) in an elevator - he'd developed a crush on her since their initial run-in inside their apartment building. On the flight to Europe, Harold and Kumar are mistakenly suspected as terrorists thanks to a smuggled on-board bong. They're immediately sent to Guantanamo Bay, where they're immediately introduced to a "cockmeat sandwich" and instead choose to flee the compound with a pair of actual terrorist escapees. Such begins Harold and Kumar's next adventure, as fugitives. Along the path to getting help from a snooty conservative boyfriend Colton (Eric Winter) of Harold's former love Vanessa (Danneel Harris), the potheaded duo encounter a Southern married couple with disturbing secrets, a KKK clan, big-tittied prostitutes and Neil Patrick Harris - again portraying himself. Between the original Harold & Kumar and the new chapter, Neil Patrick Harris came out of the closet, though filmmakers oddly decided to keep him straight here. It would've been funnier to explore his sexual defection. Homeland Security agents attempt to chase down the fugitives throughout the film, getting closer and closer but never quite catching up to them. An annoying head honcho named Ron Fox (Rob Corddry) is the lone character that should've been snipped in the editing room. I preferred the tamer, quirkier Dr. Beecher (Roger Bart). Near the movie's conclusion, a foul-mouthed and weed-inhaling George W. Bush (James Adomian) provides some of the most hilarious moments of this geek-ball comedy. V There are several terrific lines in the movie - my favorite being "fuck you, donuts are awesome!" - and I can't wait to use them within my social circles. Aside from being a fan of fraternity-style comedies - because, after living in one during college, I built up a tolerance for a "boys will be boys" mentality - I appreciate the Harold & Kumar franchise for spotlighting two minority American actors. Penn of East Indian descent and Cho of Korean heritage are a pair of rising stars, not to mention worthy actors, in cinema today. Penn scored points with an impressive performance in last year's The Namesake and Cho will soon appear in the much-anticipated Star Trek blockbuster. They're also role models for Asian-American youth, as evidenced by the many who flooded this week's advance screening. It's also time we shift outside our blond-blue eyed fantasy and recognize that someone like John Cho is sexy. Dorky, but sexy. And you'll be glad to know that he finally displays his nude backside on screen. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is not for those easily offended by sexual, racial, drug-related, and unnecessarily raunchy humor - stay home if you're uptight. But, should you be open to an "anything under the sun" good time, make a beeline for it this weekend. The target audience is 20 and 30-something hipsters, and naughty-minded Gay filmgoers will likely be as entertained with the stereotypical jokes as everyone else will.