David Boaz reviews the philosophical and economic underpinnings of the Harold and Kumar movies:
Escaping persecution, poverty, and hunger . . . to find ample food and unlimited choices . . . the pursuit of happiness . . . the American Dream. Yes, I think writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg were on to something.
And then in the sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, after another improbable road trip, the fugitive youths literally dropped in on George W. Bush’s Texas ranch. In the increasingly fantastic plot, the president invited them to join him in hiding from the scary Cheney, shared his pot with them, and then promised to clear up the unfortunate misunderstanding that landed them in Guantanamo Bay. An uninhibited but still skeptical Kumar said, “I’m not sure I trust our government any more, sir.” And President Bush delivered this ringing libertarian declaration:
Hey, I’m in the government, and I don’t even trust it. You don’t have to trust your government to be a patriot. You just have to trust your country.
Harold & Kumar: more wisdom than a month of right-wing talk radio. Hurwitz and Schlossberg get what America is about.
Not having seen any of the movies, that certainly sounds like the kindest treatment George W. Bush has ever received from Hollywood.
You’re not missing anything.
The first one is kind of funny in a college-stoner-hijinks way, à la “Animal House”. The second is a soulless cash grab trying to recycle the formula of the first by repeating the same old jokes with more exaggerated payoffs. George Bush did come off as down-to-earth and approaches likeable. The third I will not see unless I can somehow guarantee that I am costing Hollywood time, money and blood by doing so.
Comment by Chris Taylor — November 4, 2011 @ 15:56
That’s why it was such a surprise to see these movies being mentioned at the Cato website.
Comment by Nicholas — November 4, 2011 @ 17:15