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RATING:   
Is it as good as the first one?" These are eight little words that plague every highly-anticipated sequel made.
Fortunately for everyone's favourite hopeless potheads, this M18 follow-up to the classic 2004 screwball buddy movie, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is definitely more of a hit than a miss, as far as stoner comedies go — if you catch my drift.
Back with irreverent vengeance and picking up literally five minutes from where they last left off, Harold and Kumar (the still-likeable and under-appreciated John Cho and Kal Penn) manage to work their original magic and spare no one from their skewering, from radical terrorists and Homeland Security xenophobes, to inbred deep Southerners and good ol' President Dubya.
With all their best jokes referenced back to their earlier adventure, die-hard fans will be rolling in the aisles even before the first designer bong is smoked, the first gross-out gag is played and the first "meat" sandwich is served.
It is true that the earnest sweetness of the boys' friendship and the simplicity of their earlier unwavering quest for tasty burgers is somewhat lost in this film (not to mention its over-reliance on graphic nudity and toilet humour).
However, with an overall sharper, politically-fuelled script, the director-writer team of John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg manage to keep the humour from wholly slipping into revolting territory, just when you think it will for good.
The formula still doesn't tire and the franchise will most probably continue riding on the charm of its stars. Seriously, who can resist the hilariously self-deprecating Neil Patrick Harris on a unicorn-spotting high? Self-referential popular culture does not get any funnier than this. - TODAY/fa
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