They've battled the munchies and a lack of a reasonably located White Castle franchise. They've taken on W., the War on Terror, and the all things post-9/11. They've even turned Neil Patrick Harris into the first openly gay stud ladies' man in the history of humor. Now, Harold and Kumar are facing a foe more volatile than the guards at Guantanamo Bay, more insidious than the ever-changing drug laws: Santa! As part of the hilarious holiday farce A Very Harold and Kumar (3D) Christmas, our sincere stoner duo must come to terms with some pretty serious sugarplums. Before their night is over, they will take on the Ukrainian mob, a baby high on cocaine, and perhaps the greatest enemy of a good time ever -- adulthood.
It's been a few years since Harold (John Cho) moved out of the grungy apartment he shared with Kumar (Kal Penn) so he can marry his sweetheart, Maria (Paula Garcés). He's now a Wall Street fat cat and lives in a nice house in the suburbs, hanging out with his new "bestie" Todd (Tom Lennon). Kumar, on the other hand, has been smoking dope and avoiding his gal pal Vanessa (Danneel Ackles). On Christmas Eve, a mysterious package arrives for Harold. Curious, Kumar gets his neighbor to take him to his ex-friend's place. Immediately, the two cause a beloved holiday tree belonging to Maria's disapproving father (Danny Trejo) to go up in flames. Desperate to please him, Harold demands Kumar help him find a replacement. Their adventures will cause them to clash with a Eastern European gangster (Elias Koteas), a breakfast food making automaton (go, Wafflebot!), and of course, Neil...Patrick...Harris!!!
As an antidote to all the glad tidings and false figgy pudding merriment this upcoming yuletide, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is terrific. It's a very funny, very inventive comedy. Sure, it relies on some of the goofiest gross out gags in the history of the bong hit hoedown (the homage to A Christmas Story is a highlight) and uses 3D as both a gimmick and a point of satiric self-deprecation. Just as in the first two films, the fictional friendship and onscreen chemistry between our leads helps lift us over the occasional lulls, and some of the supporting characters are basically non-entities (Mr. Koteas is sadly underused). Still, from the moment the sweet, sweet smoke starts artificially wafting out into the audience, this new world multicultural Cheech and Chong deliver the laughs.
It's great to see Cho and Penn back together. Their easy, breezy mannerisms really accentuate the insanity. Adding to the mix is Trejo, who is a treat as the angry dad. While Lennon loses some of his luster along the way, NPH does an amazing job. He's perhaps the only actor who can take both his hit sitcom persona and actual alternative lifestyle and deconstruct them simultaneously without losing his gleam or commercial appeal. He gets many of the movie's best lines. While the faithful may not like the last act attempt at sentimentality, it helps make the more raunchy bits seem less lurid. In fact, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas might be the most genial R-rated riot ever.
With all the unfinished business left in the narrative and a couple of clever references to a fourth film, Harold and Kumar may indeed find themselves in another marijuana-fueled quest sometime in the future. Based on the First Noel fun of this bawdy, blasphemous epic (yes -- even Jesus gets a cracking cameo) our duo have stopped being novelties and are a full-fledged classic comedy duo. It only took two films to achieve it, but A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is the perfect combination of tinsel and toking.
