A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dan S

  
  A competently made sequel about everyone's favorite stoner-buddies and how they are reunited after two years, each feeling distant from one another, but willing to give their friendship one last shot. The laughs, as per the first sequel, are scatter-shot and lacking consistency,… More
  A competently made sequel about everyone's favorite stoner-buddies and how they are reunited after two years, each feeling distant from one another, but willing to give their friendship one last shot. The laughs, as per the first sequel, are scatter-shot and lacking consistency, but who cares? This is a pure stoner comedy that is very funny despite being really, really stupid. It does not possess the inescapable charm the first film had, but the pace is quick, the laughs are solid, and of course Santa Claus is involved somehow in a disrespectful way. Simply put, if you liked the first two, you will like this one as well. If you can't take perverse humor or a multitude of sex/drug jokes, you will probably hate it. Overall, I liked it, not enough to say it is completely worth watching, but it is enjoyable.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Amir Blumenfeld, Paula Garcés, Danneel Ackles, Thomas Lennon, Danny Trejo, David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Patton Oswalt, Elias Koteas Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson Summary: When Kumar burns down Harold's family Christmas… More
  Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Amir Blumenfeld, Paula Garcés, Danneel Ackles, Thomas Lennon, Danny Trejo, David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Patton Oswalt, Elias Koteas Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson Summary: When Kumar burns down Harold's family Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, the stoner pals set out on a last-minute, pot-fueled quest through Manhattan to find a replacement tree, getting tangled up with mobsters and other shady characters along the way. My Thoughts: "I am a little disappointed. I was intending for this film to be much funnier. I didn't even laugh out loud once. I was really looking forward to this movie so it sucks that it was such a disappointment for me. The movie seemed to be trying to hard to be funny that it ended up being just smirk worthy. I'm a big fan of these films and I hope they make another one, and hopefully it's better."

• Lenny M

  
  Probably better than the second one but that isn't saying anything. They made a bunch of Cheech and Chongs, and now we have 3 Harold and Kumars, Harold and Kumar #1 was hilarious, never had franchise potential. But since they made a second one, which was shatful, why not make… More
  Probably better than the second one but that isn't saying anything. They made a bunch of Cheech and Chongs, and now we have 3 Harold and Kumars, Harold and Kumar #1 was hilarious, never had franchise potential. But since they made a second one, which was shatful, why not make a third one?

• Jeff "

  
  Third entry in the Harold & Kumar trilogy is a rare example of a good effective comedy that still manages to be funny. This film manages to be just as funny as the first two films. I thought this film was hilarious from start to finish. I think that this film was a fine… More
  Third entry in the Harold & Kumar trilogy is a rare example of a good effective comedy that still manages to be funny. This film manages to be just as funny as the first two films. I thought this film was hilarious from start to finish. I think that this film was a fine conclusion. This film had all the elements that made the first films good comedies. If you've enjoyed the first two films, then you're most likely going to enjoy this one. The film still plenty of good comedic bits for you to laugh and though the film sometimes is uneven, for the most part it succeeds where most sequels fail. I think that this comedy was just as good as the first two and that fans of the first two will enjoy this just as much. This film is a guaranteed good time. There's plenty of good jokes that keeps the film moving along. The cast are good, and make the film a must see for fans of the first two films. Personally, I think that this is the best Christmas film since Bad Santa. Standout elements of the film is the performance of Neil Patrick Harris. He always makes these films better than they are, and he's just as funny here as he was in the first two films. This film brings on the laughs and like the first two is a pleasant time waster. There's plenty of good things going for this film to appeal to the fans and in my opinion this is a fine way to close the series, as the ideas expressed on-screen are very good, fun and above all still funny. This series is the rare example of a comedic trilogy of films that still has enough wit to be entertaining fun.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Christmas comes prematurely"</i> Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree. <center><font… More
  <i>"Christmas comes prematurely"</i> Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Harold (John Cho) has put his stoner past behind him and, married to Maria, has adopted a very conventional lifestyle with a view to trying to ingratiate himself with her father (Danny Trejo, trading on his bad-ass screen persona). Specifically, he is put Kumar (Kal Penn) behind him, because Kumar is still deep in weed, which fact is responsible for the various mishaps they went through in the earlier films. When a package arrives at Kumar's apartment for Harold, and Kumar takes it to him, the immediate result is the burning down of the Christmas tree brought by Maria's father, followed by a panic stricken search for a replacement which, itself results in a number of prejudicial predicaments. I think part of the reason the first movie worked so well is because going to White Castle is, relatively, a very simple, ordinary trip. But when it's Harold and Kumar it becomes a very wild adventure. For this third movie, Harold and Kumar are back to turn a routine errand into a hair-raising, hazardous experience. Harold has to decorate a Christmas tree. But even though it may not have lived up to the previous ones, Harold and Kumar prove once again that as far as epic stoner comedies go, they can't be beat. This one left me sore from laughing, and with an itch to see more (even though, once again, I wasn't stoned). I strongly suggest you get a big group to go to this one; the more laughs around you, the funnier this movie will be.

• Manu G

  
  Christmas comes prematurely Funny! Where do they come up with so many funny nonsense? Wow. The story does not have much to offer you but dark humor and funny stuff, that's about it. If you liked the Harold and Kumar movies from before you will enjoy this one. Six years have… More
  Christmas comes prematurely Funny! Where do they come up with so many funny nonsense? Wow. The story does not have much to offer you but dark humor and funny stuff, that's about it. If you liked the Harold and Kumar movies from before you will enjoy this one. Six years have elapsed since Guantanemo Bay, leaving Harold and Kumar estranged from one another with very different families, friends and lives. But when Kumar arrives on Harold's doorstep during the holiday season with a mysterious package in hand, he inadvertently burns down Harold's father-in-law's beloved Christmas tree. To fix the problem, Harold and Kumar embark on a mission through New York City to find the perfect Christmas tree, once again stumbling into trouble at every single turn.

• Mike S

  
  Why in the name of Santa's nut sack didn't this come to the cinemas in Sweden? It would have been so great to see it in 3D and during the holiday season. But alas, I had to settle with the 2D rental version. After finally getting the chance to see it though, I have to say… More
  Why in the name of Santa's nut sack didn't this come to the cinemas in Sweden? It would have been so great to see it in 3D and during the holiday season. But alas, I had to settle with the 2D rental version. After finally getting the chance to see it though, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Not that I expected pure gold, but I was hoping it would be something more than just your average comedy. The stoner humor and raunchiness is still very much present, but there's been an evident shift in directing-style and degeneration of the jokes, which didn't sit too well with me. It's like waking up on Christmas morning and finding your stocking full of carbonized turds. It's not the Harold and Kumar I love and remember, but merely a bleak reflection of their former, pot-smoking glory. None of this can really be blamed on the actors though. Kal Penn and John Cho delivers the goods to the best of their ability, and Neil Patrick Harris preserves his status as one of the most awesome living legends of our time. So if anyone is to be accused of laziness, it's director Todd Strauss-Schulson, along with the four hacks who wrote the screenplay. In spite of all this, however, I had a fairly good time with it. There is enough fun gags to keep you entertained and I enjoyed how it spoofed its own use of 3D. Still a letdown, no doubt, but at least the dynamic duo haven't lost any of their R-rated charm. Because nothing says Christmas spirit like a magical joint delivered by Santa himself.

• Michael S

  
  "A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas." The title alone evokes the memories of a wildly uneven film; One filled with unsuccessful jokes and some running gags that never worked to begin with! But this ain't no lump of coal. It's actually quite the good time! Not all… More
  "A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas." The title alone evokes the memories of a wildly uneven film; One filled with unsuccessful jokes and some running gags that never worked to begin with! But this ain't no lump of coal. It's actually quite the good time! Not all of the jokes stick, and the tone is basically non-existent, but this is due to the fact that "Harold and Kumar" does absolutely everything it can to garner laughs (including throwing good taste clear out the window). The jokes are rude, crude, and in the the vein of the previous film in the franchise. It should come as no surprise that the film struggles with it's own excess from time to time, but when the humor (both verbal and physical) hits it's mark, Harold and Kumar's third outing boarders on being the funniest film of the year. It's over the top and silly (sometimes exhaustingly so), but when it works, it works hard. The cast is great here, with Penn and Cho as likable as ever. A slew of extended cameos (most notably Danny Trejo and Neil Patrick Harris once again) really liven and shake things up. To bad the unnecessary 3D did not. This is a seriously funny film that's many faults can be easily overlooked. It doesn't take itself seriously and is a romp that knows what it wants to be; A good, ridiculous time. You know what? It works!

• First L

  
  For years I labored under the delusion that Harold and Kumar were spin-off characters from the "American Pie" films. In fact, John Cho (Harold) was in the first one, and was the character who coined the phrase "MILF". One thing about those American Pie films,… More
  For years I labored under the delusion that Harold and Kumar were spin-off characters from the "American Pie" films. In fact, John Cho (Harold) was in the first one, and was the character who coined the phrase "MILF". One thing about those American Pie films, they liked to advance the kids fast: the time between sequels was often reflected in the changes in the characters lives. This new Harold & Kumar film comes six years after the last one takes place (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), and big changes are reflected in the characters' lives. For starters, the two are no longer bosom buddies: Harold has moved up the corporate ladder and has a beautiful home he shares with his beautiful wife, Maria (Paula Garces). Kumar, on the other hand, is still sitting around the old apartment getting high. When a mysterious package arrives for Harold at the apartment, Kumar and his horny nerd neighbor, Adrian (Amir Blumenfeld) make a stop in the suburbs to drop it off at Harold's. Through a series of unlikely events, Harold's father-in-law's (Danny Trejo) prized christmas tree gets torched and it's up to the pair to re-unite in order to replace the tree before the in-laws come home from midnight mass. No, it's not a very convincing plot (it's not even as creative as Guantanamo Bay), and there's a sparsity of laughs as compared to previous films. But worst of all, Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas makes the deadly mistake of letting their characters grow up, from slacker/stoner dudes to men with grown up responsibilities and jobs. Sure, there are some token tokes, but the guys spend more of the movie chasing after christmas trees and running away from some random bad guys. It's all a lot of harmless dumb fun that doesn't add up to much.

• Brad W

  
  A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is the third entry in the stoner series and is a hilarious film that lives up to the hilarious misadventures of the two dope heads that we know and love. The story is simple really, Harold andKumar have not talked in a few years and both have moved… More
  A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas is the third entry in the stoner series and is a hilarious film that lives up to the hilarious misadventures of the two dope heads that we know and love. The story is simple really, Harold andKumar have not talked in a few years and both have moved on, Harold becoming a very successful businessman and Kumar being a lazy bum. When Kumar drops off a present for Harold and sets his tree on fire with his joint, Harold and Kumar have one of the most f#cked up nights of their lives trying to find a new tree so Harolds father in law wil like him, and of course, everything goes completely wrong with everything they do. The plot of the film is a fun story for people who have enjoyed the series and is a great way to spend a afternoon, this is not genius writing but it was almost exactly what I was hoping for with this film, another entry in the series that just involves these two getting into problems over and over, and they keep the characters still incredible, Harold being still a overdramatic good hearted guy, Kumar being the same weed obsessed retard, and Neil Patrick Harris still being a hardcore sociopath. The cast is still as good as they have ever been. Kal Penn is as fun as he was in the first two. John Cho has never been the funniest person in this series, but hey, other people may disagree with what I think, and for what its worth, hes got a few moments where I had a chuckle. Neil Patrick Harris is one of the funnies actors in Hollywood, I mean i cannot think of any actor as hilarious, fun, loveable, and cool as him, and what makes him even better is that he is not afraid to let the writers take a few stabs at his sexuality, and even though he is only on for a few minutes, those few moments are where the film truly shines if you ask me.. The comedy in the film was amazing, it was a major improvement over the second film that actually kind of bored me, I mean the part with the baby with the cocaine was truly comedy genius, and the Wafllebot almost made me piss my pants laughing, and this film never fails to not make me laugh and keep the great name of stoner comedy glowing. There are many problems with the film however, the whole Harold and Kumar haven't talked in years thing was kind of pointless, the claymation moment was not nerely as funny as I was hoping it to be, and there were a few moments where it may have been a little TOO disgusting for me, but all these problems are very minor for this being a good movie. This film is a movie that people will have a ball watching, a raunchy Christmas movie is just what you need to get in the holiday spirit, it reminded me of wathcing Bad Santa a little bit, but I am serious when I tell you that this movie did not dissapoint me with being a great addition to the series I have grown to sort of love.

• Kase V

  
  A prime example of taking the series too far, 'A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas' seem to be in it mostly for the money instead of the laughs. Although it still has its funny parts, the series has lost most of the shock value that made the first one so entertaining.

• Everett J

  
  "Harold and Kumar" are the modern "Cheech and Chong". Their first movie they went to White Castle, then they escaped from Guantanamo Bay. Now they light up Christmas like never before. Harold(John Cho) is now married, has a great job, but wants his wife's… More
  "Harold and Kumar" are the modern "Cheech and Chong". Their first movie they went to White Castle, then they escaped from Guantanamo Bay. Now they light up Christmas like never before. Harold(John Cho) is now married, has a great job, but wants his wife's father to like him. Harold decides to make Christmas a huge deal at his house for the whole family in an attempt to win her Dad's love. Kumar is still a pothead who got kicked out of medical school, and finds out his ex girlfriend is pregnant. He then receives a package sent to his apartment addressed to Harold. They haven't seen each other for nearly 2 years, but he decides it's best to take the package to Harold. Once they meet up the fun begins and it never stops. This movie is non stops laughs and 3D gags(although I didn't watch it in 3D, I imagine it's pretty amazing and will be buying the 3D blu ray). I actually think this is the funniest of the three. It's a little more coherent(hard to ask for out of a pothead movie, i know) and an R rated Christmas comedy has really been missing. Neil Patrick Harris is back also and nearly steals the movie again, but is upstaged by a 3 year old drug addict(yeah I said it). If you need to get into the holiday spirit, want a great laugh, or just wanna get baked to a movie, then you should definitely check this out!

• Liam G

  
  To get me in the holiday spirit, it took none other than the new installment in the ''Harold and Kumar'' series. John Cho and Kal Penn return and deliver the comedic goods. Also returning is the amazing Neil Patrick Harris, who steals the show. What ''A… More
  To get me in the holiday spirit, it took none other than the new installment in the ''Harold and Kumar'' series. John Cho and Kal Penn return and deliver the comedic goods. Also returning is the amazing Neil Patrick Harris, who steals the show. What ''A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas'' succeeds so well at is balanching the raunchy, vulgar jokes with geniune heart and joy. The film never loses the Christmas spirit and it knows that not only does it have to be a great Harold and Kumar movie, it has to be a great Christmas movie. Unlike most comedies, which are sometimes very mean-spirited, ''Harold and Kumar 3D'' makes its characters likeable not just by their jokes, but by their attitude. These are people you wouldn't mind hanging out with. The jokes are creative and the writers do a terrific job of coming up with memorable one-liners. ''A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas'' is not only one of the best comedies of 2011, it's one of the best Christmas movies in a long time.

• John H

  
  Not as gross or brain-dead as the last installment, and more charming than the first. It's cliched ridden, but with an open mind this movie could be for anyone to watch.

• Alice S

  
  Utterly disappointing. Not enough nudity or racism. At all. So much exposition. Kumar and Vanessa's plotline is uninspired. A scarily skeevy NPH and a hilariously hostile David Burtka are the only highlights.

• Kevin C

  
  Elf, A Christmas Story, and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas; my Christmas classic playlist. So damn funny. So terrific. And most amazingly: I'm not even a big fan of Harold & Kumar.

• E.J. B

  
  Back in high school, my friend and I purchased a rubber chicken that made orgasm noises every time you squeezed it. The harder the squeeze, the higher pitched the sound. We thought it would make a funny birthday gift. Being the immature teens that we were, we also thought it would be… More
  Back in high school, my friend and I purchased a rubber chicken that made orgasm noises every time you squeezed it. The harder the squeeze, the higher pitched the sound. We thought it would make a funny birthday gift. Being the immature teens that we were, we also thought it would be funny to continually squeeze the chicken in the food court. Nearby there was a mother, no older than 35, with her two children. I looked over at her. She was clearly trying to make a straight face, and maintain a real composure in front of her kids. When it was time to leave, my friend was having trouble fitting the chicken in his knapsack. He shoved it in. The chicken squeeled louder than any orgasm I'd ever heard up to that point. Most of the people in the food court turned around to see where that sound came from. But my attention was on the mother, who had finally given up and collapsed in a hoot of laughter. Why am I telling you this story? Because it relates to A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. Every joke in this movie is just wrong, offensive, and wholly inappropriate. But damn it, it's funny as hell. You may feel like the mother with her children. You shouldn't be laughing at the jokes in this movie, because they are the very jokes you as an adult should wholly disapprove. But you will laugh; you will laugh till it hurts. And hey, there's even a little bit of heart to this movie, about growing up and accepting the responsibilities that come with it. However, you're not watching this movie for that. You're watching it because you want to laugh at a baby getting high off weed, coke, and ecstasy. Yes, as a mature human being, you shouldn't think that's funny. But you do.

• Jim H

  
  The boys reunite for another quest, searching for a replacement Christmas tree. What's strange about this film is how I remember thoroughly enjoying it but how little I can remember about it now. Yes, I remember a baby getting high on pot, cocaine, and ecstasy; numerous 3D gags… More
  The boys reunite for another quest, searching for a replacement Christmas tree. What's strange about this film is how I remember thoroughly enjoying it but how little I can remember about it now. Yes, I remember a baby getting high on pot, cocaine, and ecstasy; numerous 3D gags including a claymated penis attacking me; Neil Patrick Harris's Christmas song dance numbers; and finally, the references to John Cho's involvement with the Occupy Wall Street movement, Harris's gay partner, and Kal Penn's employment at the White House. But these are mere gags -- memorable, sure -- but the comedy fades with time. Overall, I remember really enjoying <i>A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas,</i> but it's hard to remember why.

• Ping C

  
  The latest H&K movie truly exceeded expectations. It is hilarious. And while it is in no way sophisticated in its sense of humor, the movie's self-deprecating and self-consciously low-brow vibe allows it to succeed despite leaning heavily on visual gags and jokes about… More
  The latest H&K movie truly exceeded expectations. It is hilarious. And while it is in no way sophisticated in its sense of humor, the movie's self-deprecating and self-consciously low-brow vibe allows it to succeed despite leaning heavily on visual gags and jokes about drugs and bodily functions. I could have used a bit more NPH, but hey, couldn't we all?

• Matt G

  
  Harold: Dude, we're claymated. It's Christmas in November! I always appreciate a good stoner buddy comedy, which is why I was quite excited for the third entry in the Harold & Kumar series. I did have quite a bit of fun with A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, but… More
  Harold: Dude, we're claymated. It's Christmas in November! I always appreciate a good stoner buddy comedy, which is why I was quite excited for the third entry in the Harold & Kumar series. I did have quite a bit of fun with A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, but the film lacked the charm of White Castle, but was a vast improvement over Escape from Guantanamo Bay. The latest entry exceeds the previous one on two levels: sharper writing, and a shorter running time. The whole film consists of hit or miss jokes, but is consistent of many misses. Fortunately, once the jokes hit, they hit your funny bone with an iron fist. I have no determination to see this flick again, but it is passable for a one time viewing, especially in jaw-dropping 3D. After six years of no contact, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) reunite for one crazy christmas. Harold's father-in-law (Danny Trejo), who brought a sacred home-grown christmas tree puts his trust in Harold to decorate it, but things quickly go wrong once Kumar comes along. Soon after, Harold and Kumar go on the third biggest adventure of their lives, where the encounter Neil Patrick Harris, a pot-driven four year-old, the real-life Santa Claus (Richard Riehle), and a couple of internationally dangerous gangsters. Christmas came early this year, I suppose. It's quite simple to top Guantanamo Bay, but they could have done a bit more expansion, making it a bit more even. This brings me to an issue I had with this film: the editing. What could have brought my grade up half a star, was brought down by the awful editing in this film. Thankfully, they packed "enough" funny to keep that flaw out of the equation for at least half the film. Still, I felt that the film would have been much more balanced if the film went from scene to scene with an unparalleled amount of confidence. There are several moments in this that crosses the line of absurdity, easily being the unnecessary spoof of A Christmas Story, as well as the first five seconds of the claymation sequence. Granted, I did enjoy the use of claymation in the film, as well as I enjoyed it in the last Christmas episode of the NBC comedy Community. So I believe that this is a fine source of comedy in anything, considering that it's mostly Tim Burton who uses the filming style of claymation nowadays. Anyways, as short as it was, there is a good amount of fun to be seen watching Harold and Kumar running in a claymated world from a giant, evil snowman. As I mentioned, the comedy in this is hit or miss, and aside from the claymation scene and a couple of other scenes involving Santa Claus, a coked-out baby, and Neil Patrick Harris, there aren't many memorable laughs in this. I just want to point out that Patton Oswalt was robbed of his screen time, and should be featured in many, many more films (he's a favorite of mine). Also, I usually enjoy Danny Trejo, but he didn't seem to fit into this film. Trejo was good in Machete, The Devil's Rejects, hell, I even enjoyed him in the Spy Kid trilogy (I refuse to see the abomination that is Spy Kids: All The Time In The World). Finally, John Cho and Kal Penn are at the top of their games, yet again. Seeing Penn's awful performance in the past few episodes of How I Met Your Mother put me down for him in this film, but he was able to impress me once more with his great variation of the pot smoking character of Kumar. John Cho hasn't been on the radar very much lately, considering his last big film was a minor role in the Star Trek reboot, so it was good seeing him back on the big screen, even though his character undergoes some serious images that I STILL cannot seem to get out of my head (you have been warned!). These buddies together have fantastic chemistry, and are extremely believable as best buddies. They are easily the best aspect of the film. It's been quite some time since I've seen an actual film shot in 3D, rather than being released with a horrible conversion (Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, this list could go on and on). It's made abundantly clear throughout the film that 3D is a ridiculous invention created solely for the scheme of making money. Seeing that this film isn't doing so hot at the box office, I am vastly certain that 3D does not serve as a moneymaking scheme all of the time (see Shark Night 3D, Fright Night 3D). There are some good uses of 3D though, such as Avatar, Green Lantern, etc). All-in-all, the 3D wasn't definitely necessary, but was worth seeing in it. The Harold & Kumar series has always been hit or miss, and while the first one was consistent solely of non-stop hits, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is a mixed bag, with a couple of humorous moments, along with a bunch of unnecessary moments. A vast improvement over the second, but not a very good one.

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