Stoners. They usually show up late or completely forget about major commitments. But thanks to a couple of contemporary cinema’s favorite potheads, the holiday season gets started even earlier than usual (I mean, we’re only a few days removed from Halloween) with A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.
Everyting goes up in smoke for Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) when the sacred tree catches fire.
That’s right, they’ve gone to White Castle, escaped from Guantanamo Bay and now they’re lighting up America’s most important holiday (in 3-D, no less). After being estranged for a couple of years, old pals Harold (now working in a Manhattan skyscraper and living with his wife in a suburban McMansion) and Kumar (still a down-and-out stoner who just found out his ex-girlfriend is pregnant) are reunited when a mysterious package addressed to Harold arrives at Kumar’s apartment. With each of them already dealing with holiday crises of their own, it initially seems as if the contents of the package will only drive the wedge that much harder between Harold and Kumar. But like their previous adventures, this weed-induced caper eventually brings the two back together again.
When things literally go up in smoke after Kumar’s delivery inadvertently catches Harold’s prize Christmas tree on fire, the two embark on “The Gift of the Magi”-style quests to replace the tree before Harold’s intimidating father-in-law (played by Machete himself, Danny Trejo) finds out about the mishap. What follows is an adventure that includes a baby ingesting numerous illegal substances, Russian mobsters trying to off the duo, Harold shooting Santa (the real Santa) in the head and the obligatory cameo by Neil Patrick Harris (who, along with Trejo, are some of the highlights of the film).
Kumar (Kal Penn) and Harold (John Cho) try to find a new tree in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas"
Clearly the Cheech & Chong of their generation (despite the smoke), Harold & Kumar find laugh-inducing ways out of each of their predicaments (usually with the help of some sort of mind-altering substance or two). And though the 3-D effects might seem unnecessary, they not only become integral parts of many scenes (especially the acid-induced claymation sequence), but the movie finds plenty of ways to poke (and I do mean poke) fun at the use of such technology in a stoner movie. The movie gives potty-humor nods to pretty much every Christmas classic that has preceded it, from A Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th Street to A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a feel-good holiday movie with out a feel-good Christmas miracle for everyone in the end. But in this case most of the people are feeling good because of what’s in the bong, not what’s under the tree.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. Starring John Cho and Kal Penn. Rated R. www.haroldandkumar.com.
Review by Jonathan Williams