“A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas,” the third installment of the Harold and Kumar franchise, is a proudly unambitious film that succeeds in part because of the fact that it doesn’t profess to be anything else but a crude slapstick buddy movie.
The film opens three years after the Guantanamo Bay sequel as Harold (John Cho) is now married and has landed a job on Wall Street, and Kumar (Kal Penn) is still in a run-down apartment living the stoner lifestyle. The two haven’t seen each other in quite some time and both have developed new friendships, but a mysterious package left at Kumar’s door addressed to Harold brings the old friends back together.
Madness ensues when at this meeting, Kumar’s smoking accidentally sets fire to Harold’s father-in-law’s perfect Christmas tree and the two are forced to go out and find an identical Douglas fir tree before the in-laws return home from a trip to the city. With their new-found friends in tow (played by Amir Blumenfeld and Thomas Lennon), the boys set out on a wild search through New York City for a Christmas tree, which leads them to the pent-house of a famous mob boss. And then, of course, to a run-in with Neil Patrick Harris as he prepares for a televised Christmas special. In between all of this hilarity there are gags that could have ended poorly but play to the films strengths, such as a hilarious clay-mation interlude and a surprise meeting with Santa Claus and his reindeer.
The actors in the film did a great job with what they had to work with, most notably Kal Penn and John Cho with their roles reprising the two main characters. As in the film’s two predecessors, Neil Patrick Harris turns in a great performance as himself with plenty of laugh lines. The surprise performance comes from Richard Riehle who takes his role as Santa Claus, one that could have been completely ridiculous, and provides the audience with so much comedy that it really doesn’t matter how far-fetched the film has become. Although there were moments when the film could have been more tightly bound and on point, it didn’t become too digressive of what the two main characters’ central mission was.
The film seemed to move at a decent pace. At an hour and 20 minutes, the film acknowledges the fact that they are not out to create a masterpiece, that the trilogy is not trying to outdo itself.
In terms of music, the film didn’t try to get the rights to any sort of popular music, but rather opted for classic Christmas songs and a score that keeps the film moving at a brisk pace.
The 3D aspect of the film was really quite entertaining as well, most notably in the fantastic opening credit, where a smoke ring is blown into the air that slowly turns into a Christmas wreath made out of marijuana leaves. There was fun to be had throughout the film with its 3D viewing, as there was plenty of smoke being blown at the audience and unneeded, but nonetheless hysterical, gags.
If there is any criticism, it is that the film does try a bit too hard and is a little too over-the-top at points. This certainly could have been a detriment to the film had the actors not handled the material so well.
Unlike the previous installment of this buddy movie franchise, “A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas” catches the funnier and sweeter side of the two best friends. Overall, this movie is quite ridiculous. However, it’s funny and lovable enough that the audience will likely forgive the film for its over-the-top moments. The film may be rude, crude, crass and even a bit offensive to some, but this is what ultimately works for the franchise.
Conor Murphy can be reached at [email protected].
