A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Reviews

"You have a good job, you make good money, and you don't beat your wife. What more could a Latino father-in-law ask for?"

To state the obvious, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is not aimed at the demographic who enjoy watching Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. Rather, this is a raunchy, profane, R-rated stoner comedy better suited for those who prefer unorthodox Christmas films more in line with Bad Santa. The law of diminishing returns is not in effect here, as this third theatrical instalment in the Harold & Kumar franchise is arguably better than its predecessors - it's a smooth, hugely enjoyable comedic ride, and its target audience will no doubt be satisfied. Best of all, one does not need to be a fan of Harold and Kumar to enjoy this festive-themed entry.

In the years since the last movie, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) have grown apart, with Kumar never having abandoned his immature drugs & booze lifestyle while Harold is living in the suburbs with his partner, Maria (Paula Garcés). Anxious to impress his father-in-law (Danny Trejo) during a visit from Maria's extended family, Harold accepts the responsibility of decorating a rare family Christmas tree while everyone else attends yuletide festivities. When a package for Harold shows up on Kumar's doorstep, he decides to deliver it to his old friend, which reunites the pair. Unfortunately, Kumar's visit results in the Christmas tree being set alight, leaving Harold horrified and anxious to locate a replacement with mere hours to spare.

In terms of plotting, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is completely flimsy, as it relies on an overly familiar set-up beset with conventional plot points. In fact, the premise is fairly reminiscent of Jingle All the Way, as the quest to find a suitable tree suffers continual drawbacks. To the credit of writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (veterans of the franchise), the clichéd broad strokes are often coloured in with brilliant comedic set-pieces, but at other times one can literally hear the gears of the plot grinding into place, especially with Harold and Kumar making up through their adventure. Or, most egregiously, the "Do you know what I've been through tonight?" speech, a trope that seriously needs to be retired.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is not a movie you will want to watch with your parents or grandparents on Christmas Eve unless they actually enjoy crass films of this ilk. Indeed, the flick is about as tasteful as a Jim Jefferies stand-up special, full of profanity, drug use and content to offend pretty much everyone, but it's all delivered with enough wit to make it work if you're in the proper mindset. There are even some sly sight gags that had this reviewer howling with laughter. Nothing is safe - religion and homosexuality are skewered, and there's even a Claymation sequence parodying classic Rankin/Bass holiday specials in which Kumar whips out an enormous clay penis. And just to show that nothing is out of bounds for these guys, a little girl is seen getting high on marijuana and cocaine...before taking an ecstasy tablet. If any of this sounds too offensive for you, don't watch it.

Hurwitz and Schlossberg helmed the previous Harold & Kumar adventures, but relinquished the director's seat here to Todd Strauss-Schulson, as the pair were busy with American Reunion. The change in directors is seamless, and Strauss-Schulson thankfully gives bright, energetic life to the screenplay. The pacing is admittedly a tad uneven, but the flick really soars when it clicks into gear. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas was planned and shot with the intention of being seen in 3D, which thankfully yields a magnificent experience. In fact, the movie is best watched in 3D, as the extra-dimensional effects enhance the fun. This is not subtle, immersive 3D - it's gimmicky, in-your-face 3D solely for comedic effect. Pretty much every scene features things popping out of the screen at you, from marijuana smoke to the aforementioned clay penis. Added to this, there are little jabs against 3D in the dialogue (when presented with a 3D TV, Harold asks "Hasn't the whole 3D thing jumped the shark by now?"). As a result, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is a sly satire of the 3D craze, enhancing the picture's humour.

Neil Patrick Harris is a veteran of the Harold and Kumar movies, and he shows up yet again here, representing one of the picture's highlights. Harris has always been a great sport in these flicks, playing an exaggerated version of himself who's debauched and drug-addicted. Since NPH is now openly gay, the script incorporates this in a hilarious way (Harris' real-life partner cameos). It's clear that the actor had an absolute ball here in this wildly over-the-top role, and you'll be left wanting to see more of him after he exits the film. Still, he doesn't feel underused, as this version of NPH works best as a scene-stealing supporting character. Fortunately, the rest of the cast are all sound as well, with Penn and Cho sliding back into their roles with ease. Patton Oswalt even has a cameo as a mall Santa which is a brief but nice addition, and the casting of Danny Trejo as Maria's intimidating father is fucking inspired. There's a colourful supporting cast as well, including Thomas Lennon and Amir Blumenfeld who play Harold and Kumar's new friends (respectively), while Elias Koteas is amusing as a Ukrainian gangster.

It's up to you whether or not A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas will ever become a classic. It will definitely join my annual Christmastime traditions, as I laughed consistently and have enjoyed it just as much upon repeat viewings. But it's definitely for a very specific sense of humour, so only proceed if you're not easily offended.

7.2/10

Comedy films usually are not the first films that I rush to view. Usually, in my opinion, they are a few notches above Romantic Comedies and anything involved with Uwe Boll directing or Tyrese's acting. Not because I hate [them], it is just because I think that sometimes comedies try too hard, like Carlos Mencia. Who can out gross more? Who has more sexual references? Whatever. (I suppose that we, as viewers, have become so desensitised that not much can disturb us.) Nothing seems organic nowadays. Do you know the reason why Hot Fuzz, Black Dynamite and Shaun of the Dead work so well? It is because the pay respect while treading new ground. I'm not expecting British humour, but dammit!





Yeah, I know, "Mr. Lays, it's stoner humour, chill the fuck out!" If have to be under the influence to enjoy a film, then what does that tell you about the film? This isn't The Wall. I love a good laugh and senseless humour like anybody, but to me this doesn't work to well. The first act of the film is it's best, sadly. And don't even get me started about the inclusion of 3D. If one of your main characters mentions that the 3D craze may be "jumping the shark", we have a problem. Then adding to the problem by having Bobby Lee breaking the fourth wall trying to let you know that your $12 wasn't misspent was just sad.



Yeah, fuck you Bobby Lee, it wasn't.

Alright, now I will tell you how I really feel about the film: The third entry in this series portrays Harold as a consistent (read: working stiff) yet boring person in life, and while Kumar has lost all self respect (read: a fuckin' bum), because his inability to stop getting high, among other issues. The two are no longer friends due to Kumar being irresponsible and Harold being a square. (I personally like the diss "Twinkie" more for Harold heard on the first instalment.) Kumar receives a mysterious package addressed to Harold, tracks him down and proved that he is still irresponsible by burning down a prized Christmas tree. So in search for a replacement Christmas tree, hilarity ensues, or sorta. I will let you be the judge, this is just my opinion. In closing here is a guide to the Harold and Kumar franchise: the first instalment, honestly, had me in tears, the second had some chuckles, and now the third basically produced a few smirks and grins. Maybe I should re-watch with the addition of some Afghan Kush. Then I can enjoy it...or fuck it, do myself a favour and watch Dumb and Dumber again.

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is a very enjoyable movie. Or at least I thought it was. I admit this isn't my kind of humor and when I went to go see it with my friends, I went in with really low expectations. I didn't think I'd laugh once or enjoy as much as I did. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas.

The humor here is pretty funny but sometimes it went a bit overboard. I did not need to see Kumar's claymation penis pop out in front of my face in 3D. That was a little too much and when you see Harold's penis get stuck to a pole that was a bit much also. Other than that the humor was great though I'm sure some people found the toddler getting high on multiple drugs(Cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy) a bit offensive and too much. I found it funny, so if that isn't your type of humor I'd skip this movie.

The story and plot are stupid but that's to be expected of a Harold & Kumar film but it's stupid-funny so hopefully you won't care as much like me. The acting is pretty good here no complaints in that field everyone gave a nice performance, I thought Neil Patrick Harris was brilliant. His part was just so funny. The dialogue can sometimes be offensive and crude but it was mostly funny. The 3D in this film was actually pretty good..? Yea a lot of stuff pops out at you, but consistently, and they kind of poke fun at the 3D a bit. I was a bit surprised that the 3D in this movie was better than most of the movies that came out in 3D this year.

Overall, a nice surprise. It's stupid but funny, and fun. It's a Harold and Kumar movie what do you expect? The acting is great, and the same can be said for the 3D surprisingly. Just don't walk in this movie with high expectations. I just wish they would have released this film a bit later, I wasn't in much of a Christmas mood when I saw it, If it had been released in December I probably would have enjoyed the nice Christmas/family themes even more.

I rated this movie 8/10 based on the fact that the second movie was not that great, and also on the fact that I saw this movie in 3D, which was amazing. The people responsible for this movie really made use of the 3D technology and that just raised the overall quality of the film, for me. I laughed pretty much all the way through it, loved Neil Patrick Harris (of course!).

Great comedy, good addition to the franchise, and it has so many things to enjoy, not the least of which is the cast: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Daneel Harris, Danny Trejo, Patton Oswalt, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Lee, Richard Riehle, etc....

I think any future viewings of this movie, if not in 3D, will definitely pale in comparison, because so many elements were specifically geared for the 3D visuals, but even still, it's pretty enjoyable. If this kind of humour is what you enjoy, and granted, not everyone does.