 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
- Review Date: November 5, 2011
- R
- Genre: Comedy
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Raucous, crude stoner comedy is funny but not for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the third "Harold and Kumar" stoner comedy follows the best pals on a late-night Christmas Eve adventure in which they rediscover their lost friendship ... and, in the process, get really, really high. There are endless scenes featuring drugs and drug references (including a recurring gag with a drug-taking baby), plus tons of swearing ("f--k," "s--t," and much more), graphic violence, crude comments, gratuitous nudity (male and female, boobs and butts), suggestions of underage sex, and teen drinking. All of that said, the film does have heart, and Harold and Kumar's friendship -- as always -- is a strong one.
What's the story?
Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn), the famous stoner duo, have drifted apart. Harold has become a married Wall Street banker with a house in the suburbs, and Kumar has ... not. He's still a die-hard pot smoker, who lives alone in a filthy apartment. But in A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS, a mysterious gift brings the pair back together, and soon they're running through the streets of New York during a wild night of misadventures that features Russian mobsters, a giant killer snowman, a waffle-making robot, and, of course, plenty of drugs. Their mission is to find a Christmas tree, but the real goal is to rediscover their friendship.
Is it any good?
The third installment of the Harold and Kumar franchise goes so very wrong in so many ways: the baby who gets dosed with several strong drugs, the accidental shooting of a revered holiday icon, the celebrity who pretends to be gay so he can bed women (the gay-in-real-life Neil Patrick Harris, again playing a debauched version of himself), the racial stereotypes, the underage drinking, and (of course) the over-the-top drug consumption. It's also quite funny.
Nobody is spared in this stoner comedy, which is part of the reason it works. Also, it has heart. This isn't just a film about getting high; it's a movie about friendship and growing up ... and getting high. Harold and Kumar realize that though they've grown in different directions, they both learn from each other. In the process, they become better friends and better people. (And did we mention they get high?) This film is in 3-D, though not for any obvious reason. If the main goal was to show a giant marijuana smoke ring coming right at the viewers, the filmmakers succeeded. Otherwise, the effect is mostly unnecessary.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's messages about drugs and drug use. Do you think this is an accurate depiction of social attitudes about marijuana? Why or why not? Does the movie address any of the consequences of drug use? As a comedy, is it expected to?
How do Harold and Kumar change over the course of the film? Why is Kumar so reluctant to grow up? Why do you think the friends drifted apart? Does their friendship seem believable? Were drugs really the only thing that could bring them back together?
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AGE
A+
Great movie!! Funny. Not near as bad as they make it sound.
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AGE
TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE! Lots of reviews here obviously written by kids!
This movie is funny, no doubt about it, but the few positive messages do not make up for the awful messages! The drug use is constant and it isn't just pot, there is cocaine and ecstacy too. The worst part about the drugs is that a toddler is given cocaine, pot and ecstasy throughout the movie, and it is seen as funny, even by her father. In addition, this is the first time commonsense media has let me down with a review by not listing the sexual content! The scene where a man m********** while giving a woman a backrub, is not just that, it is against the woman's will as she is manipulated into it and has to kick the guy off of her. The bare breasts and butts isn't a one time thing, but several times, including a scene of several women as NUNs in the showers nude, full on female nudity, and a scene with a man posing as Jesus walking around with two bare breasted women as his "goddesses". The one sexual intercourse scene is while a teen girl begs the guy to "give it to her p****" and then berates him for going soft. The same girl later tries to get an adult man to "f***" her and it shows her on her knees trying to get his pants off. The message of old friendships being key in life, family as a priority, are great, but still this movie is over the top for young teens and kids. I took my 13 year old son and his friend after reading the reviews here and even they admitted how inappropriate it was. They loved it, but still were embarrassed and knew it was inappropriate for them. Oh yeah, my husband, who is usually much more lenient about what our son watches just reminded me about two scenes where male genitals are shown....one in claymation and one where the man's p***** is frozen to a pole. Commonsensemedia.org failed miserably this time at warning parents of what is in the movie that may be inappropriate.
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AGE
why
i just wanted to ask why are so many parents taking there kids to see this ungodly looking movie it may be a christmas movie but that does not mean that it is for young children
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AGE
GREAT
GOOD FOR 12 AND UP. REALLY FUNNY. COMMON SENSE PUT THIS FOR 16 BUT I SAY ABOUT 12 IS FINE FOR THIS MOVIE.
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AGE
HILARIOUS!!
Now you may think this is a disgusting movie that no kids should be able to see but i brought my 9-year old and my 7-year old and they ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! there is quite a bit of language and nudity but nothing they haven't seen on the internet these days. It had a lot of heart and i think it sent a good message to not do drugs! all in all i had a good time with my family seeing this movie and i hope you will too :)
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AGE
really not for kids.
at first i thought this would be funny movie to enjoy and brought my 12 years old daughter to watch. but ended up we didnt finish watching it and went off in the middle of the show. a lot of scenes that are not appropriate for kids.
my daughter didn't feel comfortable watching it as well, so we decided to walk out.
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AGE
Disappointing :(
compared to the first two movie this was a complete fail! i am in love with the first 2 so i rushed out to see this one. i found it aq bit boring and lacking a real story line. would not reccomend it.
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AGE
No Way For Kids!
You guys are all bad parents! You see, I love my kids and I want them to see an appropriate movie, so I checked out the review for Puss In Boots, and parents are saying it is not for kids! I watched that movie with my 5 year old daughter and she loved it ( and especially loved the cute cats) and yet people were saying 'there is a suicide of a major character'. One thing- Puss did not try and kill himself! And also, *spoiler* Puss realised that family and friends are important!
And I come on to this movie and people are saying it's good for kids- what?? This movie sickened even me! And great4kidz, they'll learn all that in school. Please, don't take young kids to see this- it's an awful movie!
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AGE
not the best but still good
funny although there is nudity, ALOT of weed(i cannot stress this enough). besides that, its is a very funny movie for the whole family
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| Studio: | Mandate Pictures |
| Director: | Todd Strauss-Schulson |
| Cast: | John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 4, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | February 7, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence |
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