Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

After being mistaken for terrorists, two friends (John Cho and Kal Penn) find themselves imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is the sequel to 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and takes place immediately after the original.

Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem, but the four years have aged leads John Cho and Kal Penn, and it’s a little odd to hear them constantly referred to as “kids” when Penn’s over thirty and Cho’s closer to forty.

That said, the real problem with the sequel is that it’s too ambitious for its own good. A great deal of the original’s charm lied in the fact that was so unambitious. The whole film revolved around two guys’ quest for sliders. It was unpretentious and relatable.

The sequel, however, tries to one-up the original by sending the titular duo on a cross-country adventure with government hot on their trail. This isn’t to say it’s not funny, just that it lacks the original’s slacker charm.

Still, there’s enough here to please fans of the first film. Writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who also directed this installment, succeed in recreating their irreverent social satire, though their penchant for gross-out humor seems to have grown this time around, and once again, Neil Patrick Harris absolutely steals the show.