‘A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas’
3 out of 5 Pitchforks
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris
Release Date: November 4, 2011
Rated: R
Whether you like it or not, it’s nearing that time of year again. Mistletoe is beginning to sprout from above the doorways as the hint of peppermint grows in the air from candy canes stirring hot chocolate.
Then again, if Harold and Kumar are anywhere around, that leafy green substance might not be mistletoe at all, and the aroma of peppermint might in fact be something entirely different.
It has been 3 years since last we heard from our lovable White Castle burger-loving stoners, and while it might appear that they have changed their ways, old dogs hate new tricks.
In movie time however, it’s been 6 years since this duo sprang free from Guantanamo Bay. Having each gone their separate ways, the holiday season proves to be just as good a time as any to rekindle the bonds that bind them together — while getting high of course.
Looking to earn the respect of his father-in-law, Harold (Cho) tries everything imaginable to provide the most perfect Christmas for his wife Maria, along with her entire family.
After a mysterious package is delivered to Kumar (Penn) by mistake, he employs his new best-bud to drive him to Harold to deliver it. Naturally, Kumar ruins everything, and after burning down the Christmas tree while Maria and her family are out, the two are once again forced into action. Only this time their focus isn’t on food, it’s on saving Christmas.
Every “bro-mance” comedy these days needs a baby, and Harold and Kumar are no different. What can easily be described as the funniest element throughout the movie, baby Ava is subjected not only to the bumbling of these two modern day men, but also marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.
Neil Patrick Harris returns to reprise his role as the hilarious, fame-driven womanizer that audiences have rallied behind since the beginning. After being shot several times in the second film for branding a prostitute, only the most ridiculous explanation would do. Suffice it to say, Neil Patrick Harris knows no bounds.
While the first two films prided themselves on stringing together seemingly random and jaw-dropping exploits one after the other, “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” tries more to develop a plot from beginning to end.
This is a decent enough attempt at completing this trilogy, but even with all the inappropriate uses of 3D, “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” isn’t as good as the previous two.
Now that we’ve seen these boys through their college years and just after, it seems only logical that we see them at least one more time. Perhaps the next installment has them taking their kids to school or perhaps we watch as they go through a mid-life crisis — either way, I’m sure they’ll stick to self-medicating with only the finest that money can buy.
Reach the reporter at jbfortne@asu.edu
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