Harold and Kumar’s Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Media Representations


Who is being represented?
• In what way?
• By whom?
• Why is the subject being represented in this way?
• Is the representation fair and accurate?
• What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

Following the events of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold Lee and Kumar Patel fly to Amsterdam so Harold can pursue a budding romance with his neighbor. The pair run into Vanessa, Kumar's ex-girlfriend, and her fiancee, Colton in the airport. Harold and Kumar board the plane, and mid-flight, an old woman sees Kumar lighting his new invention, a smokeless bong, screams "terrorist!". Air marshals immediately detain both, and the plane returns to Washington, where Ron Fox, a neurotic undersecretary of Homeland Security, sends them to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. They escape, and decide to travel to Texas in search of Colton, with hopes that he will be able to help them through his father, who is connected with several high political officials.

The film follows the same path as its predecessor, putting Harold and Kumar in a series of quirky 'episodes', usually centered around themes of drugs, sex, and racism. Neil Patrick Harris returns as his drug-addled, womanizing parody of himself.

After being betrayed by Colton and jumping out of a plane, the pair falls through the ceiling of President George W. Bush's home in Texas, where the President is hiding from Dick Cheney. After bonding over marijuana, the President pardons the pair and sends the Secret Service to help them. Harold and Kumar arrive at the wedding just in time to stop it, revealing Colton's true nature. Enraged, Colton attacks Kumar, but Harold levels him. Vanessa is angry at Kumar for embarrassing her at the wedding, but forgives him when he recites the poem that he had been writing on the day they met, but was too embarrassed to share with her until now. The three leave the wedding, heading to Amsterdam, where Harold finds Maria. The movie ends with everyone enjoying the city and its offerings.
This film is a sequel that revolves around two ethnic minority characters. Consequently, they are represented in a downgraded manner. This idea is shown through the way they are treated by other characters that are not ethnic minorities and have a stronger will power. Despite this, the protagonists are shown to have inspirational personalities which give them a heroic side of things. Stereotypically, Indians are shown in this society to be independent and hard working. This concept has been interpreted in the film. However, Kumar is shown to diminish this stereotype through the actions he carries out through the film. Harold is shown to be a more shy and stubborn. But this does not relate to the dominant stereo type of Koreans. What adds to the comedic aspect of the film is the protagonist kumar tends to be the ‘’leader’’ and go for the extremes, for example escaping a highly secured prison in the middle of nowhere.
Narrative
• How is the narrative organised and structured?
• How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
• How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
• What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
• What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
• What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody

Harold and Kumar follows a linear narrative. This may be due to that the film is focussed primarily on having funny themes to the film. This film follows a typical order of a beginning, middle and end.
Media Institutions


• What is the institutional source of the text?
• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
• Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?
• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
• How has the text been distributed?.