Posted on 11/14/2011 2:42:45 PM PST by NYer
NEW YORK (CNS) - Viewers of faith beware: In its largely vain pursuit of laughs, the comedy sequel "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" (Warner Bros.) stoops not only to sexual excess but to anti-Catholic animus and even blasphemy.
The result -- as written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson -- is a consistently vulgar, intermittently loathsome insult to the holiday.
The plot -- such as it is -- begins with reformed pothead Harold (John Cho) and unrepentant stoner Kumar (Kal Penn) accidentally burning down the former's family Christmas tree. Since the now-married Harold's intimidating Hispanic father-in-law (Danny Trejo) is a devotee of all things Yule -- and grew the destroyed stately fir himself -- this sets off a frenzied but rambling quest for a replacement.
Along the journey that follows, a secondary character is revealed to have a rendezvous with a teenage virgin named Mary who ardently longs to be deflowered on Christmas Eve. Similarly, when the titular duo concocts a plot to steal a church's evergreen, their imagined scenario involves pornographic images of lesbian nuns as well as pedophile priests chasing choirboys. Another fantasy is set in heaven where a playboy version of Jesus appears, accompanied by two topless angels.
That's not to mention the attempt to mine amusement from repeated incidents where a toddler is inadvertently made high on a variety of narcotics or the claymation sequence that exploits 3-D in a manner the fertility gods of pagan antiquity might have envied.
The general tastelessness on display, but more particularly the assault on Catholic sensibilities, make it sobering to reflect that Penn left his job as an associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement to be involved in this misbegotten mess.
Anything less engaging than the defamatory interludes and overall "nothing sacred" outlook of his latest project would be difficult to imagine.
The film contains sacrilegious humor, graphic nonmarital and aberrant sexual activity, full nudity, a benign view of drug use, about a half-dozen instances of profanity and pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.
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CAPSULE REVIEW
"A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" (Warner Bros.)
Consistently vulgar, intermittently loathsome comedy sequel in which reformed pothead Harold (John Cho) and unrepentant stoner Kumar (Kal Penn) go in quest of a replacement for the former's family Christmas tree which the duo accidentally burned down. In its largely vain pursuit of laughs, director Todd Strauss-Schulson's insult to the season stoops not only to sexual excess but to anti-Catholic animus and even blasphemy by portraying pornographic images of lesbian nuns, pedophile priests chasing choirboys and a playboy version of Jesus accompanied by topless angels. Sacrilegious humor, graphic nonmarital and aberrant sexual activity, full nudity, a benign view of drug use, about a half-dozen instances of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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CLASSIFICATION
"A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" (Warner Bros.) -- Catholic News Service classification, O -- morally offensive. Motion Picture Association of America rating, R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Ping!
Hope it is a miserable failure and the investors in this garbage lose terribly.
Sound like a trio of former altar boys to me.
Try making “Harold and Kumar Kill Christians and Jews!” At least it would play well in Mecca!
A stoner Christmas flick starring B. Hussein’s boy toy... go figure.
Why would anyone expect A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas to be saintly?
I wouldn’t.
May it be an abject failure in whatever venue it appears.
$23 million domestic so far (in two weeks) on a $19 million budget.
Only a sane country would completely reject this garbage. Ours is not a sane country.
OK, but is it funny?
Cho’a father is a Church of Christ minister who escaped from North Korea. Kal Pen was born a Hindu and I assume he still is. Pershaps some reporter can aks Cho’s father about the movie and it’s relationship to Christmas and what he taught his boy as well as how proud he is of his son and how he’s treating Christianity.
I’m sure this group would take on say Islam the same why. Sure they would. They know they are safe attacking Christianity.
Wow...talk about pushing the envelope. /s
I thought the original was hilarious. Even though I don’t partake of the kind herb. But I can’t imagine wasting money on the 2 sequels. Even Cheech and Chong lost their mojo. “Nice Dreams” seems very dated and stale in 2011.
I can’t wait until the one on Mecca. They could film it in Detroit and get a tax credit.
No, thanks. I’ll pass. Kal Penn had starred on the tv show House but departed abruptly to work for Zero. Guess that didn’t work out since he’s back doing stoopid 12 year old mentality movies. Looking at his bio, House is the only decent role he’s had.
I’d concur. “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle” was one of those “so stupid it’s funny” movies.
“written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson”
I gather these gentlemen don’t celebrate Christmas?
Amen!
It takes 3 times of the 23 million production to get money back. It does not even show million dollar advertising spent. Also movie theaters get half up front. So 3 times the original production breaks it through to begin profit.
I understand that. Hopefully it dies domestically and does nothing overseas. I’d like to see this idiotic franchise die a quick death.
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