Much of the continued success of the “Harold & Kumar” series stems from the fact that you don’t have to be a stoner to enjoy the movies. But in “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” the irreverent humor of the first two films often takes a back seat to 3D smoke rings and bong rips.
Years after their Guantanamo Bay incident, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar’s (Kal Penn) friendship has cooled. Harold is a wealthy, married businessman; Kumar has dropped out of med school and spends his days getting stoned in his apartment. When the duo is reunited by a mysterious joint, chaos ensues and Harold must find the perfect Christmas tree to impress his father-in-law (Danny Trejo).
Like the previous two entries, the movie features its titular heroes beset on all sides while trying to finish a simple task. The absurdity is frequent and amusing with a drug-abusing infant, a sentient waffle-making robot, and of course, Neil Patrick Harris.
This time, the stars of the show aren’t Cho and Penn — the funniest moments belong to the supporting characters. Harris reprises the predatory fictional version of himself, and Trejo utilizes every inch of his snarling visage to portray the Christmas-obsessed father-in-law.
Between the cast and cameos, the film is full of hilarious characters. The only problem is that the movie drags when Harold and Kumar are the only ones on the screen. Instead of continuing the series’ trademark quick-wittedness, too much of the humor is as dull as its target audience’s senses.
