Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Infobox Film
name = Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay


image_size =
caption = Theatrical poster
director = Jon Hurwitz
Hay Schlossberg
producer = Greg Shapiro
writer = Jon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
narrator =
starring = John Cho
Kal Penn
music = George S. Clinton
cinematography = Daryn Okada
editing = Jeff Freeman
distributor = Warner Bros. New Line Cinemacite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984712.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|title='Baby Mama' tops box office|publisher=Variety|first=Pamela|last=McClintock|date=2008-04-27|accessdate=2008-08-09]
released = United States:
April 25, 2008
United Kingdom:
May 30, 2008
Australia:
September 4, 2008
runtime = 102 min.
country = United States
Canada
language = English
budget = $12 million
gross = $36 million (USA) $40.43 million (Worldwide)
preceded_by = "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004)
followed_by = "Harold & Kumar 3" (2010)
website = http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
amg_id = 1:379084
imdb_id = 0481536

"Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" is the 2008 comedy film sequel to the 2004 film, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle". John Cho and Kal Penn reprise their roles as the eponymous stoner duo, along with Paula Garcés as Harold's love interest, Maria.cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1560028&vid=149973|title='Harold & Kumar 2' Gets Political|author=MTV News|source=Music Television|date=2007-05-18|accessdate=2008-08-09] Neil Patrick Harris also returns as a satirical version of himself.

New additions to the cast are comedian Jon Reep and former "Daily Show" correspondents Rob Corddry and Ed Helms. Other cast members include David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris, Eric Winter, Adam Herschman, and Richard Christy.cite web|title = Lots More Hit the Road for Harold and Kumar 2|work=Cinematical|date=2007-01-31|url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/31/lots-more-hit-the-road-for-harold-and-kumar-2/| accessdate = 2007-03-29]

The film was released on April 25, 2008 by Warner Bros.; this film was the first New Line Cinema title to be distributed by Warner Bros. since New Line Cinema became a division of Warner Bros. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984712.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 'Baby Mama' tops box office - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety ] ] The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on July 29, 2008.

Plot

Following the events of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle", Harold Lee and Kumar Patel fly to Amsterdam so Harold can pursue a budding romance with his neighbor. The pair run into Vanessa, Kumar's ex-girlfriend, and her fiancee, Colton in the airport. Harold and Kumar board the plane, and mid-flight, an old woman sees Kumar lighting his new invention, a smokeless bong, screams "terrorist!". Air marshals immediately detain both, and the plane returns to Washington, where Ron Fox, a neurotic undersecretary of Homeland Security, sends them to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. They escape, and decide to travel to Texas in search of Colton, with hopes that he will be able to help them through his father, who is connected with several high political officials.

The film follows the same path as its predecessor, putting Harold and Kumar in a series of quirky 'episodes', usually centered around themes of drugs, sex, and racism. Neil Patrick Harris returns as his drug-addled, womanizing parody of himself.

After being betrayed by Colton and jumping out of a plane, the pair falls through the ceiling of President George W. Bush's home in Texas, where the President is hiding from Dick Cheney. After bonding over marijuana, the President pardons the pair and sends the Secret Service to help them. Harold and Kumar arrive at the wedding just in time to stop it, revealing Colton's true nature. Enraged, Colton attacks Kumar, but Harold levels him. Vanessa is angry at Kumar for embarrassing her at the wedding, but forgives him when he recites the poem that he had been writing on the day they met, but was too embarrassed to share with her until now. The three leave the wedding, heading to Amsterdam, where Harold finds Maria. The movie ends with everyone enjoying the city and its offerings.

Cast

* John Cho as Harold Lee
* Kal Penn as Kumar Patel
* Rob Corddry as Ron Fox
* Paula Garcés as Maria
* Danneel Harris as Vanessa
* Eric Winter as Colton
* David Krumholtz as Goldstein
* Eddie Kaye Thomas as Rosenberg
* Roger Bart as Dr. Beecher
* Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris
* Christopher Meloni as the Grand Wizard of the KKK
* Clyde Kusatsu as Mr. Lee
* Beverly D'Angelo as Sally
* Jon Reep as Raymus
* Ed Helms as Interpreter
* Adam Herschman as Archie
* Jack Conley as Deputy Frye
* Tamara Feldman as Chloe
* Randal Reeder as Big Bob
* James Adomian as President George W. Bush
* Echo Valley as Tits Hemmingway
* Missi Pyle as Raylene
* Richard Christy as a Ku Klux Klansman.
* Ava Santana as Tammi

Soundtrack

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: Original Soundtrack was released on April 15, 2008. It contains 13 songs used in the movie. The track list is as follows:

#Ooh Wee - (Mark Ronson featuring Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Trife & Saigon)
#My Dick - (Mickey Avalon)
#Cappuccino - (The Knux)
#Check Yo Self - The Message Remix- (Ice Cube)
#My Stoney Baby - (311)
#Chinese Baby - (Viva La Union)
#Nothin' But A Good Time - (Poison)
#Pussy (Real Good) - (Jacki-O)
#It's So Hard to Say Goodbye (To Yesterday) - (Boyz II Men)
#In the Beginning - (K'Naan)
#Gospel Weed Song - (Bizarre)
#All That I Want - (Curtis Murphy Syndicate)
#The Merkin Medley - (George S. Clinton)
#Whiplash - (Metallica)

Production

"Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" cost $12 million to make. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984712.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 'Baby Mama' tops box office - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety ] ] The filming of "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" began in the third week of January 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and finished in March. [cite web|title=11 Board Harold & Kumar|work=comingsoon.net|date=Jan 31, 2007|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=18669|accessdate = 2007-01-31] [cite web|title=Second Harold & Kumar Starts in January|work=comingsoon.net|date=2006-10-30|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17266|accessdate = 2006-12-14] [cite web|title='Kumar' Actor Has College Teaching Gig'|work = Associated Press|date=2007-03-26|url = http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=256269&GT1=7701|accessdate = 2007-03-26] Warner Bros.' spokesman said that this film was originally produced as a direct-to-video film until a decision was made to release it theatrically. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i302baa51d85f0debc0667104981cc6e9?pn=2 'Baby Mama' legit at the boxoffice] The Hollywood Reporter Apr 27, 2008]

Promotion

In October 2007, a "coming soon" poster featuring Neil Patrick Harris began circulating on the Internet. [ [http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/10/harold_kumar_2_poster_asks_wwn.php I Watch Stuff: 'Harold & Kumar 2' Poster Asks 'WWNPHD?'] ] Showing Harris astride a unicorn, the advertisement poses the question "What would NPH do?". [ [http://whatwouldnphdo.com/ What Would NPH Do? ] ]

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 87 reviews — with the general consensus that the film was not as good as the original. "It may not equal its predecessor, but Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is still good for some laughs -- and food for thought" [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_kumar_2/ |title=Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-08-09 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 27 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/Haroldandkumarescape |title=Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-04-29 |publisher=Metacritic] "Daily Variety" declared "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" "Animal House" meets "" and called it "one of the ballsiest comedies to come out of Hollywood in a long time."cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936447.html?categoryid=2850&cs=1&nid=2577|title=Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay|publisher=Variety|first=Joe|last=Leydon|date=2008-03-9|accessdate=2008-03-12] "The Guardian" (which rated the movie 7 out of 10) noted that despite having a "total nonsense" story, the screening of "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" was "one of the most raucous screenings I've ever attended. Even the opening credits were wildly applauded, and much of the dialog was inaudible over the laughter." [cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/mar/10/southbysouthwest.festivals3|title=Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay|publisher=guardian.co.uk|first=Steve|last=Rose|date=2008-03-10|accessdate=2008-03-12]

Not all reviews were so glowing; Richard Roeper of "At the Movies" lamented that although he enjoyed the "pot-fueled laughs and the sheer energetic lunacy of the original, I was really let down by this uninspired sequel." [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_kumar_2/?critic=creamcrop#mo|title=Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|first=Richard|last=Roeper|date=2008-04-28|accessdate=2008-08-09] The "New York Daily News" said that "the movie forgets to stay true to their characters or to itself." [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_kumar_2/?critic=creamcrop#mo|title=Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|first=Joe|last=Neumaier|date=2008-04-25|accessdate=2008-08-09] Michael Phillips of "The Chicago Tribune" wrote that you "find yourself smiling at some of the bits, wincing through many, many others, and ultimately wondering if the pacing would've improved had either H or K developed a terrible cocaine habit." [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_kumar_2/?critic=creamcrop#mo|title=Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|first=Michael|last=Phillips|date=2008-04-24|accessdate=2008-08-09] Amnesty International USA commented by saying that "Guantanamo is no joke." They have encouraged their membership to hand out fliers at movie theater screenings to promote awareness about the treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. [cite web|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/torture/get-involved/page.do?id=1031009&n1=3&n2=38&n3=1053&tr=y&auid=3581668|title=Denounce Torture|publisher=Amnesty International USA|accessdate=2008-08-09]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $14.9 million in 2,510 theaters, in the United States and Canada, averaging $5,939 per theater and ranking #2 at the box office behind "Baby Mama". [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=haroldandkumar2.htm |title=Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |accessdate=2008-04-28 |publisher=Box Office Mojo] "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" performed much better at the box office than "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" which grossed $23.9 million worldwide [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=haroldandkumar.htm |title=Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) |accessdate=2008-05-02 |publisher=Box Office Mojo] after opening at #7 in the United States and Canada with $5.4 million. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=haroldandkumar.htm |title=Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) - Weekend Box Office Results |accessdate=2008-05-02 |publisher=Box Office Mojo] As of July 18, the film grossed $40.43 million worldwide.

DVD/Blu-Ray release

The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray disc July 29, 2008 featuring a single-disc theatrical edition, an unrated edition, or a 2-disc unrated edition. The unrated edition was featured for Blu-Ray disc. The 2-disc version features a "dude change the movie" feature which lets the viewer access alternate scenes and ending including "Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam"

Sequel

Both Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have announced plans to write and direct a third Harold and Kumar movie, with Greg Shapiro returning as the producer, and Kal Penn and John Cho expected to return in their titular roles. [ [http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/25/harold-and-kumar-3-announced/ Harold and Kumar 3 Announced] ] [cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989452.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|title='Harold & Kumar' set for third puff|publisher=Variety|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=2008-07-24|accessdate=2008-08-02]

References

External links

* [http://www.haroldandkumar.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.haroldandkumar.com/videos/ Official trailer]
* [http://www.WhatWouldNPHdo.com/ NPH promo site]
*
*
*
*
*
* [http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Kumar-Escape-Guantanamo-Bay/dp/B0015D3YXQ]