A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Encyclopedia
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is a 2011 3D stoner
comedy film
directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, written by Jon Hurwitz
and Hayden Schlossberg
, and starring John Cho
, Kal Penn
, and Neil Patrick Harris
. The main plot follows Harold (Cho) and Kumar (Penn), two estranged friends who embark on an adventure to find a new Christmas tree after Kumar destroys the original. It is a sequel
to the 2008 film Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay and the third installment in the Harold & Kumar
film series. The film was released on November 4, 2011 and is the first installment of the series to be shown in 3D.
) is getting ready for the holidays by visiting Santa at the mall. Later on, the so called "Santa" sells him marijuana in the mall's parking garage. Dumped by Vanessa, Kumar has let himself go by not pursuing a career as a doctor, poor hygiene and cleaning habits and still living in the now messy apartment that has been vacated by Harold Lee (John Cho
), now a successful businessman on Wall St. His assistant, Kenneth (Bobby Lee) persuades him into buying a 3D television, and notes it can make "Avatar look Avatarded". When leaving the building, they are mobbed by angry citizens who throw eggs at them, with Kenneth sacrificing himself to prevent Harold from taking the brunt of it. Meanwhile, Vanessa (Danneel Harris
) visits Kumar and tells him that she's pregnant with his child, which shocks him and two get into an argument with Vanessa leaving.
After he arrives home, Harold is seduced by Maria (Paula Garces
), but their attempt to get pregnant is interrupted by the arrival of her father (Danny Trejo
), who already dislikes Koreans and dislikes Harold. He explains to Harold that he never had a perfect Christmas and he is counting on Harold to make this one the best for his daughter. He has also brought a tree which he has grown for 8 years and is the perfect Christmas tree. When a package addressed to Harold arrives at Kumar's apartment, Kumar decides to deliver it to Harold. The package turns out to be a large marajuana joint that Kumar cannot resist smoking. Since Harold has gotten married and does not get high anymore, he knocks the lit joint out of Kumar's hands and it lands in the tree, causing a fire that destroys it. To replace it, Harold reserves one of the last decent Christmas trees available. Kumar, feeling bad that he may have ruined Christmas for his now estranged friend Harold, decides to look for a replacement tree and ends up bribing the tree store into selling him the same tree that Harold had reserved. When Harold sees the car with the tree drive away, he chases him and the car with Kumar's tree on crashes and blows up on the highway. Harold argues with Kumar right before introducing them to their new friends. Harold, Kumar, Todd, Adrian and Todd's daughter drive to a party in New York to retrieve a Christmas tree at Adrian's partners party. It takes a turn for the worse and Harold and Kumar are forced to go to Broadway, where hopefully Neil Patrick Harris
can get them one.
After a wild night of performing an Broadway, getting kidnapped by Ukrainian gangsters, and shooting Santa Claus, Harold and Kumar return to their regular lives. Harold invites Kumar to his Christmas party the following day. Later on in the evening, Kumar sneaks through Vanessa's window and explains he will stop smoking weed for the sake of her unborn baby and will retake the exams to become a doctor. Harold returns to Maria's house with her father waiting on the couch. The two argue until Harold explains he might not be the perfect son-in-law, but he is the perfect man for Maria. Maria's dad hesitates before accepting him into the Perez Family.
The film ends with Harold and Kumar celebrating Christmas with their families.
then Los Angeles
and New York City
from June to August 2010, with the use of Panavision
Genesis and Element Technica 3D Rig. The film was released in RealD 3D on November 4, 2011.
Animators of LAIKA were selected to create the claymation scene.
Cho and Penn went on a tour to promote the film in different college towns. At each stop they had a bus hand out "munchies".
reports that 72% of 97 critics have given the film a positive review with a rating average of 6.2 out of 10. The website's consensus is, "Still raunchy, still irreverent, and still hit-and-miss, this Harold & Kumar outing also has a Christmas miracle: The audience gets to see the sweeter side of the duo." Metacritic
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 61 based on 28 reviews. CinemaScore
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying "It's not that I was particularly offended; it's that I didn't laugh very much."
and Tower Heist
, grossing approximately $13.1 million and underperforming its prediction of $18 million. The film has earned a total of $29,595,000 in North America as of November 11, 2011.
It was planned to be released in Australia
and New Zealand
on November 24, 2011, and it is unknown when the film will now be released.
Stoner film
Stoner film is a subgenre of films that revolve around the use of marijuana. Typically, such movies show cannabis use in a comic and positive fashion...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, written by Jon Hurwitz
Jon Hurwitz
Jonathan Benjamin "Jon" Hurwitz is an American screenwriter. He grew up on James Rd. Randolph NJ, 07869. He attended Randolph High School, where he now has a glass cabinet of his own to show how happy he is of his high school education...
and Hayden Schlossberg
Hayden Schlossberg
Hayden Schlossberg is an American screenwriter/director/producer from Randolph, New Jersey who became well known for co-writing with Jon Hurwitz: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and for co-writing, co-directing, and co-producing with him "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."He is a...
, and starring John Cho
John Cho
John Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
, Kal Penn
Kal Penn
Kalpen Suresh Modi , best known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an American film and television actor, producer, and civil servant....
, and Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
. The main plot follows Harold (Cho) and Kumar (Penn), two estranged friends who embark on an adventure to find a new Christmas tree after Kumar destroys the original. It is a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the 2008 film Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay and the third installment in the Harold & Kumar
Harold & Kumar
Harold & Kumar is the common name for a series of stoner comedy films starring John Cho and Kal Penn . The first film, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, was released on July 30, 2004 by New Line Cinema and spawned a sequel titled Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, released four years...
film series. The film was released on November 4, 2011 and is the first installment of the series to be shown in 3D.
Plot
Kumar Patel (Kal PennKal Penn
Kalpen Suresh Modi , best known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an American film and television actor, producer, and civil servant....
) is getting ready for the holidays by visiting Santa at the mall. Later on, the so called "Santa" sells him marijuana in the mall's parking garage. Dumped by Vanessa, Kumar has let himself go by not pursuing a career as a doctor, poor hygiene and cleaning habits and still living in the now messy apartment that has been vacated by Harold Lee (John Cho
John Cho
John Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
), now a successful businessman on Wall St. His assistant, Kenneth (Bobby Lee) persuades him into buying a 3D television, and notes it can make "Avatar look Avatarded". When leaving the building, they are mobbed by angry citizens who throw eggs at them, with Kenneth sacrificing himself to prevent Harold from taking the brunt of it. Meanwhile, Vanessa (Danneel Harris
Danneel Harris
Danneel Ackles , better known by her stage name Danneel Harris, is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Shannon McBain on One Life to Live and Rachel Gatina on One Tree Hill.-Early life:Elta Danneel Graul was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and was raised in the small...
) visits Kumar and tells him that she's pregnant with his child, which shocks him and two get into an argument with Vanessa leaving.
After he arrives home, Harold is seduced by Maria (Paula Garces
Paula Garcés
Paula Garcés is a Colombian American film and television actress, known for her appearance in films such as Clockstoppers and The Harold and Kumar Series, and on TV shows such as CSI: Miami, The Shield, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos, Oz and Warehouse 13.-Early life:Garcés was...
), but their attempt to get pregnant is interrupted by the arrival of her father (Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
), who already dislikes Koreans and dislikes Harold. He explains to Harold that he never had a perfect Christmas and he is counting on Harold to make this one the best for his daughter. He has also brought a tree which he has grown for 8 years and is the perfect Christmas tree. When a package addressed to Harold arrives at Kumar's apartment, Kumar decides to deliver it to Harold. The package turns out to be a large marajuana joint that Kumar cannot resist smoking. Since Harold has gotten married and does not get high anymore, he knocks the lit joint out of Kumar's hands and it lands in the tree, causing a fire that destroys it. To replace it, Harold reserves one of the last decent Christmas trees available. Kumar, feeling bad that he may have ruined Christmas for his now estranged friend Harold, decides to look for a replacement tree and ends up bribing the tree store into selling him the same tree that Harold had reserved. When Harold sees the car with the tree drive away, he chases him and the car with Kumar's tree on crashes and blows up on the highway. Harold argues with Kumar right before introducing them to their new friends. Harold, Kumar, Todd, Adrian and Todd's daughter drive to a party in New York to retrieve a Christmas tree at Adrian's partners party. It takes a turn for the worse and Harold and Kumar are forced to go to Broadway, where hopefully Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
can get them one.
After a wild night of performing an Broadway, getting kidnapped by Ukrainian gangsters, and shooting Santa Claus, Harold and Kumar return to their regular lives. Harold invites Kumar to his Christmas party the following day. Later on in the evening, Kumar sneaks through Vanessa's window and explains he will stop smoking weed for the sake of her unborn baby and will retake the exams to become a doctor. Harold returns to Maria's house with her father waiting on the couch. The two argue until Harold explains he might not be the perfect son-in-law, but he is the perfect man for Maria. Maria's dad hesitates before accepting him into the Perez Family.
The film ends with Harold and Kumar celebrating Christmas with their families.
Cast
- John ChoJohn ChoJohn Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
as Harold Lee - Kal PennKal PennKalpen Suresh Modi , best known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an American film and television actor, producer, and civil servant....
as Kumar Patel - Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
as Neil Patrick Harris - Danneel HarrisDanneel HarrisDanneel Ackles , better known by her stage name Danneel Harris, is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Shannon McBain on One Life to Live and Rachel Gatina on One Tree Hill.-Early life:Elta Danneel Graul was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and was raised in the small...
as Vanessa Fanning - Paula GarcésPaula GarcésPaula Garcés is a Colombian American film and television actress, known for her appearance in films such as Clockstoppers and The Harold and Kumar Series, and on TV shows such as CSI: Miami, The Shield, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos, Oz and Warehouse 13.-Early life:Garcés was...
as Maria Perez-Lee - Elias KoteasElias KoteasElias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
as Sergei Katsov - Patton OswaltPatton OswaltPatton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
as Larry Juston/Mall Santa - Thomas Lennon as Todd
- Eddie Kaye ThomasEddie Kaye ThomasEddie Kaye Thomas is an American film, television, and stage actor who rose to prominence in 1999 as Paul Finch in the American Pie film series.-Early life:Thomas was born in Staten Island, NY...
as Andy Rosenberg - David KrumholtzDavid KrumholtzDavid Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...
as Seth Goldstein - Bobby Lee as Kenneth Park
- Danny TrejoDanny TrejoDan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
as Mr. Perez - Amir BlumenfeldAmir BlumenfeldAmir Schmuel Blumenfeld is an Israeli-American writer, comedian, actor, and television host.Blumenfeld was born in Afula, Israel. He is literate in Hebrew and displayed his bilingual talents on episodes of Jake and Amir. He is a graduate of Milken Community High School and the University of...
as Adrian - Jordan HinsonJordan HinsonJordan Danielle Hinson is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Zoe Carter on the Syfy series Eureka....
as Mary - Melissa OrdwayMelissa OrdwayMelissa Ordway is an American actress and model. She has modeled in many campaigns and acted in such films as 17 Again and on television in Privileged.-Background:...
as Gracie - RZARZARobert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
as Lamar - Richard RiehleRichard Riehle-Life and career:Riehle was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret , a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle , an assistant postmaster. He attended the University of Notre Dame....
as Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus... - Brett GelmanBrett GelmanBrett Gelman is an American actor and comedian known for his appearances in the HBO comedy programs Funny or Die Presents and The Life & Times of Tim. He currently co-stars alongside Chris Elliott in the Adult Swim series Eagleheart.-Life and career:Gelman was born and raised in Highland Park,...
as T.V. Director - David BurtkaDavid Burtka-Background:Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, grew up in Canton, Michigan, and graduated from Plymouth-Salem High School in 1993. He trained in acting at Interlochen Center for the Arts, obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan and had further training at the William...
as David - Jake JohnsonJake JohnsonJake Mark Johnson is an American actor who currently stars as Nick in the Fox comedy series New Girl opposite Zooey Deschanel, which was picked up for a full season run and premiered on September 20, 2011 to strong viewing figures of 10.28 million and positive critical reception.Johnson also...
as Jesus Christ
Production
Filming took place in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
then Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from June to August 2010, with the use of Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
Genesis and Element Technica 3D Rig. The film was released in RealD 3D on November 4, 2011.
Animators of LAIKA were selected to create the claymation scene.
Cho and Penn went on a tour to promote the film in different college towns. At each stop they had a bus hand out "munchies".
Critical response
Reviews of the film were positive. As of November 16, 2011, Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 72% of 97 critics have given the film a positive review with a rating average of 6.2 out of 10. The website's consensus is, "Still raunchy, still irreverent, and still hit-and-miss, this Harold & Kumar outing also has a Christmas miracle: The audience gets to see the sweeter side of the duo." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 61 based on 28 reviews. CinemaScore
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.-Background:...
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying "It's not that I was particularly offended; it's that I didn't laugh very much."
Box office
During its first weekend, the film opened at third place behind Puss in BootsPuss in Boots (2011 film)
Puss in Boots is a 2011 computer-animated adventure Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Chris Miller , executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, and written by Brian Lynch, with screenplay by Tom Wheeler. It stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob...
and Tower Heist
Tower Heist
Tower Heist is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Griffin. It was released on November 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom, with a United States release following two days later...
, grossing approximately $13.1 million and underperforming its prediction of $18 million. The film has earned a total of $29,595,000 in North America as of November 11, 2011.
It was planned to be released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on November 24, 2011, and it is unknown when the film will now be released.