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So the first Harold and Kumar was a classic for me, while the second was forgetable. Given that, how does this one stack up against the previous two?
3D technology finally justifies its existence with the arrival of A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. Okay, that’s not quite true. Technically, it justified its existence with the display of Angelina Jolie’s virtual breasts in Beowulf, but Harold and Kumar ups the ante with copious shots of pot smoke blowing right in our faces (as well as eggs, broken glass, crack cocaine and Danny Trejo’s jizz). It serves no apparent purpose, but it’s cool to look at and in the proper state of mind, it can be quite funny.
The proper state of mind is absolutely essential for a Harold and Kumar movie; you either laugh at its endless array of off-color gags or you don’t. This franchise has seized the mantle of Cheech and Chong as the go-to place for stoner humor, which it delivers with gleeful good cheer. The holidays make a suitable target for its zany mayhem, and with god-among-men Neil Patrick Harris tagging along for the ride, the film hits its proper tone almost from the get-go. At this stage, anyone who doesn’t know what they’re in for deserves everything they get (see “Danny Trejo’s jizz,” above). For the rest of us, business as usual means a very funny time.
Catching up with former college buddies Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) finds them more or less where we expect them to be. Kumar was bounced from medical school after he failed a drug test and now makes sweet, sweet love to his bong in an increasingly shabby apartment. Harold, far more uptight, has a great job on Wall Street and hopes to provide a baby for his wife while dodging protesters outside his office. Both are stressing over the holidays – Kumar because his girlfriend is pregnant, Harold because his in-laws may literally kill him if he doesn’t deliver the perfect tree. They’ve drifted apart over the years, but fate soon throws them back together for a wild Christmas Eve. How wild? If you have to ask, you don’t know Harold and Kumar.
The film cheerfully acknowledges its contrived nature and leaves no stone unturned in its quest to gang-rape the holiday season (and I mean that in the best possible way). It performs similar mayhem with the notion of 3D, and in sending up the trend, actually makes more inspired use of it than any film so far this year. Beyond that, it’s just a machine-gun rattle of gross-out gags, pothead bonding and various wacky sidekicks who run into all manner of insanity. The in-jokes fly fast and thick, particularly sly references to Penn’s work in the Obama White House and Cho being referred to as “Sulu” a couple of times. A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas takes no prisoners in the politically incorrect department either, with gags directed at children, racial minorities and Santa Claus himself (Richard Riehle) who has a really tough night. And oh yes, prodigious amounts of medicinal herbs are involved because (to paraphrase Kumar) without it, no one can get high.
Screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg retain their edge from the previous Harold and Kumar films, while new director Todd Strauss-Schulson steps into the spirit of the endeavor without missing a beat. The only question is whether a given audience member prefers his humor heavily laced with grown-up naughtiness or not. For those who do, Harold and Kumar proves mildly inspired: a big step up from the problematic second film and a reasonable extension of the unexpected charms of the first.
Most importantly, it retains the general good-heartedness of the series without weakening its overall bite. Our two heroes are basically decent guys doing the best they can in very difficult circumstances. The constant winks at the camera don’t interfere with our sympathies for them, nor do their essentially lovable natures get in the way of getting three-year-olds loopy on cocaine. It’s a little early for Christmas – presumably the suits don’t want to compete with the heavy hitters later in the year – but only the fiercest Scrooge would feel bad at this film’s arrival. If nothing else, it should inoculate us for the holiday horrors to come… and more of that action we can get, the better.
So the first Harold and Kumar was a classic for me, while the second was forgetable. Given that, how does this one stack up against the previous two?
I'll see it but not at the theatres. Cheap 3D gags annoy me. They'll look even worse in 2D at home but I least I won't pay $11 for them.
I've never been a fan of stoner flicks, maybe someday I'll run across it when nothing else is on tv.
ditto for me goldeneyez, laughed at the first, cringed at the second. Won't pay for this.
I just gotta say: wallyrus, I've felt how you feel and I laughed more at your comment than I did at the 2nd Harold and Kumar! Rob can be vicious and pretentious, and then witty and dead bang on but thats a critic, and I wouldn't even comment here if I didn't agree with him more than half the time. Truth be told, the other maniacs here are the opinions I'm usually more interested in whenever I read a review.
I saw it and laughed my ass off. First off, the movie was actually shot in 3D, not a shitty conversion like other money grabs (see George Lucas for reference). A lot of the jokes are geared towards the use of the 3D medium to its advantage. The best being the pot smoke drifting lazily off the screen. I loathe 3D, but I'd actually recommend that people see this movie in 3D just because it does add that much more to the experience. NPH's small part was nice and hit all the right notes, and the addition of his real life partner was hilarious. This movie now replaces my favorite Christmas movie which was Christmas Vacation.
After the movie I realized that this franchise has actually kind of followed the Vacation movie franchise in a way. First movie was a road trip, and was funny. Second movie, not great but had some moments and ended up in Europe (stretching it a bit for H&K, but whatever). And the third movie is a Christmas movie about friends and family and all the crazy stuff that happens that time of year. Frankly, if you don't like the characters by now, you never will and should just skip the movie and go see something safe like The Lion King.
Love the series, but usually wait til they are out on DVD.
However, your glowing review of the effective use of 3D, Daforce, has tempted me to haul ass to a theater and see it now.
I thought the first two sucked snow balls, so I'll be skipping this cinematic 3D masterpiece of X-mas coal.
Tonebone, do it, you won't regret it. It's the only 3D movie that I'll probably end up going to see again in the theater.
Now that's... a good review.