A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR CHRISTMAS
(R)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2(out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
Back in November, when “A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” came out in theaters in smoke-filled 3D, I declared it was the best holiday-themed movie of the season. And I was right. Part of this was because there were relatively few holiday-themed movies out there, but part was also because it was a damned funny movie.
On the heels of the raunchy pair escaping from Guantanamo Bay, this feature-length version of a twisted Christmas special finds Harold and Kumar estranged in their relationship. Harold has joined the 1% to live in the suburbs and try to start a family while Kumar is still slacking after his girlfriend left him. They are brought together again by a mysterious package that ends up sending them on a hunt for the last fraser fir Christmas tree in New York City. Oh, and there’s a lot of weed and sex jokes in there too.
Not being a big fan of pot-humor movies, I was skeptical. But “A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” was a laugh riot. Rather than working too hard to make a political point like the previous film, this threequel just went back to the roots of the first film, which is to have some fun. There’s plenty of inappropriate humor, including a baby high on a whole assortment of drugs with racial and religious taboos thrown around. But the film also thinks outside of the box, adding a weird claymation element to the story and bringing both Santa and Jesus into the mix.
Finally, what “Harold & Kumar” movie would be complete without Neil Patrick Harris. Where in the first film he hadn’t quite come into a full groove with his sense of humor, he lays it on thick and hilarious here. He’s the highlight of the film, which is plenty full of comedy highlights. (No pun intended.)
The Blu-ray comes with some extra content from what you’ve seen in the theaters, but it’s not exactly loaded. There is the extended cut, which has six extra minutes in the film. Nothing too amazing in terms of added scenes, but there are a couple more laughs. There’s also a spotlight on Tom Lennon, who hosts a handful of featurettes about the production of the film.
Additional bonus content on the Blu-ray includes a featurette on the claymation process (which is actually quite cool) and a slate of deleted scenes. As with most of the big releases from Warner Bros., the Blu-ray includes access to UltraViolet Digital Copy, which allows users to stream the movie via wifi.