Review of A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) by Joshua G — 14 Jul 2012

This is a decently entertaining and adequate film, though, in the end, it's really not all that special. I think I liked it a little more than its predecessor, since it didn't take things to such an extreme level straddling the line between offensive funny and just offensively bad taste.

Oh, believe me, there's some bad taste type of stuff here, it just didn't seem as overkill. I think this could have been a lot better had they come up with a far stronger and fresher script, but at least they got creative with the 3D (even if I did have to see it in 2D. Plus, they did seem to have fun by making it a Christmas movie (the claymation part is pure gold).

Unlike part two which took place within an hour after the first, this one is set several years later. Harold and Kumar have drifted apart and have become estranged. Harold is a married man whose become a responsible straightlaced (read: boring) adult, while Kumar has remained the apathetic juvenile.

Fate brings them together on Christmas Eve, and, after some typical shenanigans, the duo are forced to search for the perfect Christmas tree after Harold's father-in-law's prized one is destroyed. What follows is the typical madcap adventutre with all kinds of over the top nuttiness, vulgarity, and laughs, with some (but not too much this time) subtext thrown in for good measure. There's no Meloni cameo, but Elias Koteas does a good job in his place. Also, Danny Trejo wearing Christmas sweaters and playing against type (mostly) is one of the funniest things ever.

All in all, an entertaining return, but not as awesome as it should have been. Still, it's short, not boring, and an okay way to spend some time.