A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

Starring: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris, Patton Oswalt, Danny Trejo, Isabella Gielniak, RZA, Elias Koteas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, David Krumholtz
Directed by: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Although no longer close, a chance encounter between Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) causes Harold's father-in-law's prized Christmas tree to burn down. The two friends reunite to find a new Christmas tree and save Christmas!

Review:

Tim: I've always been a surprised fan of the Harold & Kumar movies. The first one was truly enjoyable, and the second one had a few laughs. While I didn't hate this movie, this is easily the worst film of the trilogy, and should likely be the final film in this franchise. It's always possible that a fourth film could reverse the trend, but as each movie has got significantly worse, I don't have a lot of confidence that this franchise has much steam left in it.

As with all these movies, the best part is just watching John Cho and Kal Penn do their Harold and Kumar thing. These characters are really fun to watch on screen, and I loved being able to check in with them and see how their lives are progessing (and of course, to go on a raunchy adventure with them). While the story here is pretty weak, it's fun to see them on another crazy road trip trying to reach something. That part of the film is fun.

Unfortunately, this movie is the least funn of the franchise. There are indeed a few great moments- I loved the "It's going to make Avatar look avatarded" and Neil Patrick Harris' line- "See you guys in the fourth one" was delivered with absolutely perfect comedic timing. These were the funniest moments of the film. The rest of the film had a few good moments here and there, but overall, was not nearly as funny as it needed to be.

John Cho and Kal Penn were both pretty good. However, I don't think either one brought the same level of energy and focus into their roles. This might be because they are so comfortable with the roles they didn't think they had to bring much to it. It did on occasion seem like they were just sleepwalking through their roles. Neil Patrick Harris, on the other hand, brought the energy exactly as you'd hope. He has always been such a hilarious spark for these movies. While his role here is probably the least effective out of any of the movies, he is still extremely enjoyable to watch. I also liked seeing Danny Trejo (although he's not a great actor here), and Elias Koteas always makes a movie better (he does that here, in a fun little role).

While I did enjoy seeing these characters on screen, this movie just was not that great. We've been through so much with these characters, but the whole thing feels a little bit redundant at this point. The franchise has worked very hard to make each movie a little different and unique. Despite that, the whole thing feels like we've seen this all before. The journeys of Harold and Kumar have been fun, but with this movie and its lack of real excitement and humor, I feel like it's a good time to wrap this franchise up. I wanted to like this movie, but despite my best efforts, I really could not.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay