I admit it, I have a weakness inane comedies, including ones that can be a tad crude. My all-time favorites, of course, hail from the other side of the “big blue wobbly thing”– Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Ali G, and Father Ted (the latter should be compulsory viewing for Catholics). On the American side of things, I’ve always loved Mike Myers and something about Will Ferrell just cracks me up. I also loved the first Harold and Kumar movie– Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. I made the mistake of telling woman who would become my wife that it was one of the funniest movies of all time — leading her to raise serious questions and my judgment!!
And now, we have the sequel, the brilliantly-entitled Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay. For those of you unfamiliar with the genre, let me give you the basics– two friends, two slackers, one Korean-American, one Indian-American, who can’t seem to catch a break. But these movies are not just typical crude comedies; they are also insightful social commentaries. Basically, it is a world seen through the eyes of two minority guys where pretty much every white person in the movie comes across as a complete idiot. This is no blunt political message, mind you, it is just the way these two frustrated guys see the world. It’s all there: the way Asian men are treated as weak, the way blacks are harassed by cops- all on a hilariously exaggerated level, where all the white people are utterly stupid!
I have not yet seen the second movie, but I have no doubt that these themes will feature prominently. Just look at the premise: Harold and Kumar are hauled off a flight and interrogated by an idiotic (white!) Homeland Security agent (Rod Corddry) who is wondering how Al Qaeda got together with the North Koreans. As the reviews note, there is no overt political message. Bush appears, but they are careful not to vilify him. The theme is rather that racism is idiotic, something to be mocked, laughed at (kind of like Mel Brooks and Hitler).
Writer-director Jon Hurwitz had the following to say:
“We always had a very multicultural group of friends. One thing that struck us was that no matter our ethnic background, we were very much alike. But whenever we saw Asian or Indian characters on screen, they were nothing like our friends, so we thought we would write characters like them.”
And co-writer and director Hayden Schlossberg follows up:
“When we start to write, we’re under the assumption that everyone knows racism is bad. If you don’t know that, you’re a moron. Harold and Kumar’s attitude toward racism is more frustration at having to deal with idiocy than moral outrage. We try to create a world where racism is stupid…They’re beyond racism but live in a world that isn’t.. In many ways Harold and Kumar represent what we want the future to be.”
So, I guess I will end on a Catholic note (delicately skipping over the crudeness!): these movies are a hymn to what makes America stand out int he world – its vibrant diversity, its multiculturalism, its concept of unity while respecting diversity than other countries can only dream about…ironically, those very traits that many of the America-first crowd hate so much. These movies pick apart lingering racist feelings, however implicit, and exaggerate them for great comedic effect, showing ultimately how stupid racism is. Plus, the new movie promises to mock the hyper-nationalism paranoia that enveloped America between 2001-04. I look forward to seeing it!
Here’s the trailor:
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