12 Reviews of Christmas - A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is one I just had to talk about during the 12 Reviews of Christmas. Not a lot of people talk about this one, which is a shame, because it's pretty damn funny. Here we go: A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas.
Released in November of 2011, this Yuletide stoner comedy reunites John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold Lee and Kumar Patel. In fact, Kal Penn took leave from his job a the White House just to film this movie. Not kidding, Kal was working for the Obama Administration at the time this movie was being made. The movie itself is set several years after the second Harold & Kumar movie: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and several things have happened: Harold has moved out of the apartment and is married to Maria, and Kumar is still at the apartment, his relationship with Vanessa being over. It's Christmas Eve, and Maria's father Carlos has arrived, along with the rest of Maria's family, for Christmas. After taking down Harold and Maria's artificial tree and putting up a real tree that they brought with them, a twelve-foot Fraser Fir, Carlos tells Harold a story of his childhood and why Christmas trees are important to him. Meanwhile, Kumar, after having learned that Vanessa is pregnant with their child, receives a package at the apartment that is addressed to Harold. Along with his new friend Adrian, Kumar goes to take the package to Harold, and they open it to see that inside of the package was a really big joint. Kumar lights it up, but Harold throws it out the window, when it magically flies back in, setting the tree on fire, burning it down in the process.
The rest of the movie follows Harold and Kumar heading across New York to find a replacement tree, and their adventure includes going to a tree lot run by RZA and Da'Vone McDonald, a party hosted by some teens in the home of Ukrainian mobster Sergei Katsov, and even a holiday special starring Neil Patrick Harris, whom Harold and Kumar have met before. After their misadventures, they meet the real-life Santa Claus, who offers them a ride. Upon returning home, Harold tells Carlos off, and Carlos finally accepts Harold as his son-in-law, having showed he has "cojones." Kumar goes to Vanessa, willing to become responsible for the sake of their child, and they get back together. Christmas morning arrives, and Harold gets more exciting news: he and Maria are going to have a baby. A new tree is set up, courtesy of Santa, and Harold's party goes off without a hitch, with both Kumar and Vanessa attending as well. Harold and Kumar are friends again, and the movies ends.
Whether it's the crude stoner humor, the barrage of celebrities who appear in the movie, such as Danny Trejo, Elias Koteas, Neil Patrick Harris, or even Patton Oswalt as a department store Santa, as well as Richard Riehle as the real Santa Claus, there's something about A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas that drives me to watch it every year around the holidays, and I think I know what it is. For me, this movie feels like the perfect blend of a stoner comedy and a yuletide classic, so it has something for everyone. There's also a really hilarious Claymation segment that I won't dare ruin how it happens, because it's just too damn funny, and a scene that shows Neil Patrick Harris in Heaven, which again, I don't want to ruin for those who haven't seen the movie yet because it's way too funny. John Cho and Kal Penn were terrific as Harold and Kumar, and I hope that we get to see them in those roles again soon. Now, the movie was released in theaters in 3D, and it still shows even on DVD and Blu-ray. Even still, I'm going to go ahead and give A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time as the 12 Reviews of Christmas continues.
Released in November of 2011, this Yuletide stoner comedy reunites John Cho and Kal Penn as Harold Lee and Kumar Patel. In fact, Kal Penn took leave from his job a the White House just to film this movie. Not kidding, Kal was working for the Obama Administration at the time this movie was being made. The movie itself is set several years after the second Harold & Kumar movie: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and several things have happened: Harold has moved out of the apartment and is married to Maria, and Kumar is still at the apartment, his relationship with Vanessa being over. It's Christmas Eve, and Maria's father Carlos has arrived, along with the rest of Maria's family, for Christmas. After taking down Harold and Maria's artificial tree and putting up a real tree that they brought with them, a twelve-foot Fraser Fir, Carlos tells Harold a story of his childhood and why Christmas trees are important to him. Meanwhile, Kumar, after having learned that Vanessa is pregnant with their child, receives a package at the apartment that is addressed to Harold. Along with his new friend Adrian, Kumar goes to take the package to Harold, and they open it to see that inside of the package was a really big joint. Kumar lights it up, but Harold throws it out the window, when it magically flies back in, setting the tree on fire, burning it down in the process.
The rest of the movie follows Harold and Kumar heading across New York to find a replacement tree, and their adventure includes going to a tree lot run by RZA and Da'Vone McDonald, a party hosted by some teens in the home of Ukrainian mobster Sergei Katsov, and even a holiday special starring Neil Patrick Harris, whom Harold and Kumar have met before. After their misadventures, they meet the real-life Santa Claus, who offers them a ride. Upon returning home, Harold tells Carlos off, and Carlos finally accepts Harold as his son-in-law, having showed he has "cojones." Kumar goes to Vanessa, willing to become responsible for the sake of their child, and they get back together. Christmas morning arrives, and Harold gets more exciting news: he and Maria are going to have a baby. A new tree is set up, courtesy of Santa, and Harold's party goes off without a hitch, with both Kumar and Vanessa attending as well. Harold and Kumar are friends again, and the movies ends.
Whether it's the crude stoner humor, the barrage of celebrities who appear in the movie, such as Danny Trejo, Elias Koteas, Neil Patrick Harris, or even Patton Oswalt as a department store Santa, as well as Richard Riehle as the real Santa Claus, there's something about A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas that drives me to watch it every year around the holidays, and I think I know what it is. For me, this movie feels like the perfect blend of a stoner comedy and a yuletide classic, so it has something for everyone. There's also a really hilarious Claymation segment that I won't dare ruin how it happens, because it's just too damn funny, and a scene that shows Neil Patrick Harris in Heaven, which again, I don't want to ruin for those who haven't seen the movie yet because it's way too funny. John Cho and Kal Penn were terrific as Harold and Kumar, and I hope that we get to see them in those roles again soon. Now, the movie was released in theaters in 3D, and it still shows even on DVD and Blu-ray. Even still, I'm going to go ahead and give A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time as the 12 Reviews of Christmas continues.
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