When Harold and Kumar first got baked in 2004, their trip to White Castle helped propel the stoner comedy genre. Two sequels later, they celebrate the holidays with tired gags in “A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas.”
Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are trying find the perfect Christmas tree after they burn their first one down by smoking an unbelievably large joint. The narrative quickly gets lost beneath ludicrous sub plots involving New York gangsters, a toddler hopped up on cocaine, toilet humor, a robot waffle maker and a Broadway number with Neil Patrick Harris.
Director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s wackiness from past CollegeHumor shorts carries over, as the duo burns through a list of illogical jokes. Kumar’s plan to take a church’s tree involves distracting priests with a young boy, for example.
Characters speak to the audience, mostly about the 3-D. The blatant and dull references paint the film as the butt end of its own joke. The 3-D itself hardly enhances the experience. Marijuana smoke floating across the screen pops, but otherwise the 3-D is unimpressive.
The movie may amuse with its short attention span and the temporary shock value of its jokes. But once the mist of marijuana smoke dissipates and the credits roll, the whole experience can be quickly forgotten.
“A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas” was directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.
1.5 stars out of 4
