Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: Difference between revisions

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* [[Kal Penn]] as Kumar Patel, an Indian American stoner who's outgoing and clever throughout the film.
* [[Kal Penn]] as Kumar Patel, an Indian American stoner who's outgoing and clever throughout the film.
* [[Danneel Harris]] as Vanessa, Kumar's ex-girlfriend and Colton's fiance.
* [[Danneel Harris]] as Vanessa, Kumar's ex-girlfriend and Colton's fiance.
* [[Rob Corddry]] as Ron Fox, a racist deputy of Homeland Security.
* [[Rob Corddry]] as Ron Fox, a racist deputy of Homeland Security and the main antagonist.
* [[Paula Garcés]] as Maria, Harold's love interest.
* [[Paula Garcés]] as Maria, Harold's love interest.
* [[Eric Winter]] as Colton Graham, Vanessa's fiance.
* [[Eric Winter]] as Colton Graham, Vanessa's fiance and the supporting antagonist.
* [[Roger Bart]] as Dr. Beecher, a doctor chosen to accompany Fox on his mission to send Harold and Kumar back to Guantanamo.
* [[Roger Bart]] as Dr. Beecher, a doctor chosen to accompany Fox on his mission to send Harold and Kumar back to Guantanamo.
* [[Neil Patrick Harris]] as Neil Patrick Harris. Harris is listed "as Neil Patrick Harris" instead of "Himself".
* [[Neil Patrick Harris]] as Neil Patrick Harris. Harris is listed "as Neil Patrick Harris" instead of "Himself".

Revision as of 16:05, 26 September 2010

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Two rabbits in orange jumpsuits behind a wire fence.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
Written byJon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
Produced byJon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
StarringJohn Cho
Kal Penn
Rob Corddry
Neil Patrick Harris
CinematographyDaryn Okada
Edited byJeff Freeman
Music byGeorge S. Clinton
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
New Line Cinema
Release date
April 25, 2008 (2008-04-25)
Running time
Theatrical cut
102 minutes
Unrated cut
107 minutes
CountryTemplate:FilmUS
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12,000,000
Box office$67,813,470

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is a 2008 stoner film, the second film in the Harold & Kumar series. The film is written, produced and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The story continues where Go to White Castle leaves off, with Harold Lee and Kumar Patel flying to Amsterdam. They are then imprisoned and end up on a series of comical misadventures when they escape prison. The film stars John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold Lee and Kumar Patel. The film also stars Paula Garcés,[1] Neil Patrick Harris, Jon Reep, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms,[1] David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris, Eric Winter, Adam Herschman and Richard Christy.[2]

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.[3] The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on July 29, 2008.

Plot

Immediately following the events of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) set off on a Boeing 767 flight to Amsterdam so Harold can pursue a budding romance with his neighbor, Maria (Paula Garcés). Before they board their plane, the pair run into one of Harold's old college buddies, Colton (Eric Winter), and Kumar's ex-girlfriend, Vanessa (Danneel Harris). The two are engaged to be married soon, which makes Kumar question whether he stills loves her.

During the flight an old woman accuses Kumar of being a terrorist, when she mistakes his bong for a bomb. The air marshals detain the duo and the plane returns to Washington D.C. where Ron Fox (Rob Corddry), the neurotic and racist Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, sends them to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, believing them to be agents of a joint Al-Qaeda and North Korean conspiracy.

Once there, Harold and Kumar quickly escape and travel to Florida with the help of Cuban refugees. Trying to get to Texas to see if Colton may be able to help them, due to his connections to the White House, Harold and Kumar get picked up by Neil Patrick Harris and eventually travel throughout the Southern United States.

Later, Harris, under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms, successfully manages to smuggle the pair past one of Fox's security checkpoint. After stopping at a brothel, Harris causes a situation and as they flee, he is shot in the back by the owner and left for dead.

After reaching Texas, Colton promises to help the duo out of their predicament, but after seeing Kumar reconnecting with Vanessa, he has second thoughts and turns the pair over to Homeland Security.

Trapped aboard an airplane, the two manage to escape which causes Fox and Beecher to be killed in the process. After parachuting through President George W. Bush's home in Texas, the three bond while smoking marijuana. The President then promises to pardon Harold and Kumar, and help them with whatever they need, which they ask one thing of him.

Harold and Kumar arrive at Colton and Vanessa's wedding escorted by the Secret Service. Colton attacks Kumar for breaking up his wedding, but Harold punches him, as Kumar reconnects with Vanessa.

The three head to Amsterdam where Harold meets up with Maria. In a post-credits scene, it is shown that Neil Patrick Harris survived his gunshot wounds.

Cast

Soundtrack

Untitled

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: Original Soundtrack was released on April 15, 2008. It contains 13 songs used in the film.

Track list
  1. "Ooh Wee" (Remix) - (Mark Ronson featuring Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Trife & Saigon)
  2. "My Dick" - (Mickey Avalon)
  3. "Cappuccino" - (The Knux)
  4. "Check Yo Self" - The Message Remix- (Ice Cube)
  5. "My Stoney Baby" - (311)
  6. "Chinese Baby" - (Viva La Union)
  7. "Pussy ass bitch" - (Transcenders)
  8. "Nothin' but a Good Time" - (Poison)
  9. "Pussy (Real Good)" - (Jacki-O)
  10. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye (To Yesterday)"" - (Boyz II Men)
  11. "In the Beginning" - (K'Naan)
  12. "Gospel Weed Song" - (Bizarre)
  13. "All That I Want" - (Curtis Murphy Syndicate)
  14. "The Merkin Medley" - (George S. Clinton)
  15. "Whiplash" - (Metallica)
  16. "Something About That Woman" - (Lakeside)
  17. "I Love Ganja" - (Rastaman Ivan)
  18. "Sippin' on Dat" - (Victor Rubio)
  19. "The Donque Song" - (will.i.am feat. Snoop Dogg)
  20. "Mr Shadowmaker" - (Jeff Cardoni) (Song is not on soundtrack, but is featured in the film during the Ku Klux Klan bonfire scene)

Production

The film cost $12 million to make.[3] Filming began in the third week of January 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and finished in March.[4][5][6] 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.[7]

Promotion

In October 2007, a "coming soon" poster featuring Neil Patrick Harris began circulating on the Internet.[8] Showing Harris astride a unicorn, the advertisement poses the question "What would NPH do?"[9]

Reception

Critical response

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."[10] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.[11] Daily Variety declared it "Animal House meets Dr. Strangelove" and called it "one of the ballsiest comedies to come out of Hollywood in a long time."[12] The Guardian (which rated the movie 7 out of 10) noted that despite having a "total nonsense" story, its screening 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."[13]

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."[14] The New York Daily News said that "the movie forgets to stay true to their characters or to itself."[15] 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."[16] 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.[17]

Box office

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.[18] The film performed much better at the box office than its predecessor which grossed $23.9 million worldwide[19] after opening at #7 in the United States and Canada with $5.4 million.[20] As of July 17, the international theatrical gross stands at $43,327,445. The US DVD Sales total $23,872,890 as of 22 March 2009. The budget of the film was $12 million.

Home media

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". This film as of March 22, 2009 had earned $23.4 million in DVD sales.[21]

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. Danneel Harris is reprising her role of Vanessa and Paula Garces is returning as Maria. Neil Patrick Harris has said that he will return for another cameo in this sequel. [22][23] A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is set to be released in the holiday season of 2011.[24]

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References

  1. ^ a b MTV News (2007-05-18). "'Harold & Kumar 2' Gets Political". MTV Music Television. Retrieved 2008-08-09. (Video)
  2. ^ "Lots More Hit the Road for Harold and Kumar 2". Cinematical. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  3. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (2008-04-27). "'Baby Mama' tops box office". Variety.
  4. ^ "11 Board Harold & Kumar". comingsoon.net. January 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  5. ^ "Second Harold & Kumar Starts in January". comingsoon.net. 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
  6. ^ "'Kumar' Actor Has College Teaching Gig'". Associated Press. 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  7. ^ 'Baby Mama' legit at the boxoffice The Hollywood Reporter April 27, 2008
  8. ^ "'Harold & Kumar 2' Poster Asks 'WWNPHD?'". I Watch Stuff. 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  9. ^ What Would NPH Do? Redirects to http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
  10. ^ "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Rotten Tomatoes Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  11. ^ "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  12. ^ Leydon, Joe (2008-03-09). "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  13. ^ Rose, Steve (2008-03-10). "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  14. ^ Roeper, Richard (2008-04-28). "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  15. ^ Neumaier, Joe (2008-04-25). "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  16. ^ Phillips, Michael (2008-04-24). "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  17. ^ "Denounce Torture". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  18. ^ "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  19. ^ "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  20. ^ "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  21. ^ "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  22. ^ "Harold and Kumar 3 Announced". Slashfilm.com. 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  23. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2008-07-24). "'Harold & Kumar' set for third puff". Variety. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  24. ^ "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-08-22.

External links

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