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IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE best buds Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) busted out of prison and Neil Patrick Harris rode a psychedelic unicorn to Heaven. In any sane and decent world, Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008) would have been the last we’d ever see of this latter-day Bill and Ted.
After all, that film boasted a bottomless pool party and the duo puffing weed with George W. Bush. There’s really no place else to go from there, is there? Well, how about a baby on drugs? Or a penis frozen onto a pole? Or Santa Claus getting shot in the face? In this threequel, Harold and Kumar have drifted apart.
Harold’s enjoying a job on Wall Street, a house in the ‘burbs, and an attractive wife (Paula Garces). Kumar, on the other hand, is still the same old slacker, a med-school drop-out who lives in a battered apartment.
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They haven’t seen each other in years, but when a mysterious package for Harold shows up on Kumar’s doorstep, it kicks off a series of adventures that reunites the fellas and makes use of H&K’s blend of raucous raunch-com and narcotic surrealism.
Directed by music-video wiz Todd Strauss-Schulson, this kinetic pastiche bounces along, but never quite reaches the dizzy delirium of the first two films. The 3D is mostly limited to an opening egg attack and a recurring bit where marijuana smoke snakes over the audience’sheads. S-w-e-e-e-t…
A hyperactive sequel as over-the-top as the season to which it pays tribute. Good times for fans, less so for non-lovers of low-brow.
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Ken McIntyre is a freelance writer who has spent years covering music and film. You'll find Ken in the pages of Total Film and here on GamesRadar, using his experience and expertise to dive into the history of cinema and review the latest films. You'll also find him writing features and columns for other Future Plc brands, such as Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazine.
