Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

The first Harold & Kumar movie looked like another idiotic stoner comedy to me, but for some reason I ended up liking it quite a bit. I'm not sure what it is. It has a lot of the same dumb poop humor and pointless nudity. There's just something about the innocent honesty of the main characters, both intelligent but put upon by those around them because of their race, both high as hell and just wanting some delicious burgers and fries. The sequel continues at pretty much the instant the original left off, and starts with them having the goal of reaching Amsterdam so Harold can pursue the hot girl in his building he knows from the elevator. Obviously from the title though, they get diverted from their quest. Thanks to an incompetent government investigation run by a funny but completely hateable Rob Corddry, Harold and Kumar are believed to be terrorists and journey through the south to get their names cleared by Kumar's ex-girlfriend's fiancé. I'm sure that little detail won't come into the story too much! Woahhh!

Anyway, like the first film, the main characters do what it takes to get to their destination, running into all sorts of people, some who wish them harm, and some who just want to share a joint with them. There's a fair amount of insensitive humor, poking fun at both the south and a lot of racial issues. As with the first movie, some of the better moments come when the pair encounter a highly fictionalized, womanizing, drugged-out version of Neil Patrick Harris played by Neil Patrick Harris, and oh what adventures they have. There's also a scene where the two encounter a certain now-former US President, which I couldn't decide if I actually liked or not. Anyway, the movie eventually ends in a fairly contrived yet enjoyable way. There's apparently a third film on the way, though I'm not sure how that's going to work out with Kal Penn's current job in the Obama administration. In any case, Escape, was a dumb movie that like the original still managed to be endearing.