A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson
- comedy
The story
Six years have elapsed since Guantanamo Bay, leaving Harold and Kumar estranged from one another with very different families, friends and lives. But when Kumar arrives on Harold's doorstep during the holiday season with a mysterious package in hand, he inadvertently burns down Harold's father-in-law's beloved Christmas tree. To fix the problem, Harold and Kumar embark on a mission through New York City to find the perfect Christmas tree, once again stumbling into trouble at every single turn.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated holiday-season New York in a bustling, cluttered comedy: tinsel and fairy lights glowing against snowy streets, overlit suburban living rooms, and a lot of close, jittery handheld framing as the two leads crash from one set piece into the next. The palette runs warm reds, greens and gold with the grime of the city kept in view, and the sound is loud and busy, with pop-era needle drops, rowdy party noise and a steady stream of quick-cut gags. The vibe is raucous, sweetly chaotic holiday mischief, the kind of thing to put on with friends or with a beer on a tired December night when you want to laugh out loud rather than think. Pacing is brisk and escalating, each detour bigger and dirtier than the last, and the emotional core is a pair of old friends drifting apart who rediscover their easy loyalty to each other. Intensity is high: frequent crude sexual humour, heavy drug and cannabis use, profanity, bloody slapstick and a fair amount of cartoonish violence, with little real menace. For adults who want a crude, affectionate buddy comedy with a festive backdrop, not a gentle or wholesome watch.
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