A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)/Review

Release Date: 4 November 2011 (USA) Runtime: 90 min

Genre: Comedy

Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree.

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Writers: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Cast
Patton Oswalt, Isabella Gielniak, Kal Penn , Neil Patrick Harris . Austin Bickel , Inga R. Wilson, John Cho, Bobby Lee Thomas Lennon , Amir Blumenfeld, Paula Garcés, Danny Trejo, Marvin Cruz, Allyson Lengers Shirley Benyas, Esteban Andres Cruz
Storyline
Six years have elapsed since Guantanemo Bay, leaving Harold and Kumar estranged from one another with very different families, friends and lives. But when Kumar arrives on Harold's doorstep during the holiday season with a mysterious package in hand, he inadvertently burns down Harold's father-in-law's beloved Christmas tree. To fix the problem, Harold and Kumar embark on a mission through New York City to find the perfect Christmas tree, once again stumbling into trouble at every single turn. Written by Mandate Pictures

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Filming Locations: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Production Co: Kingsgate Films, Mandate Pictures, New Line Cinema
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS
Original Music by William Ross       
Cinematography by Michael Barrett       
Film Editing by Eric Kissack            
Production Design by Rusty Smith       

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Review

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is not going to surprise anyone. It follows the same successful formula and chemistry between John Cho and Kal Penn as the first two. The film also is rude, inappropriate and has questionable taste just like the first two. So while the basic concept is the same, it has been plugged into a Christmas setting making fun of the holiday and managing to shoot Santa Claus in the face in the process. Damn it's funny! I'm not big on buddy comedies but behind closed doors I secretly love Harold & Kumar. White Castle was funny, Guantanamo Bay was even funnier taking on the issue of race and national security, and 3D Christmas is poking fun at religion and holidays. Because many may be afraid of being ridiculed for touching sacred subjects and therefore don't, Harold & Kumar movies repeatedly take on the challenge and find something original to laugh about. Sure making a baby high, John having his penis stuck to a metal frozen pole, and poking fun at the Catholic sex scandals may be inappropriate to some, but everything's fair in comedy and what the filmmakers have done will make you laugh over and over. So while much of the film may be ridiculously over the top, it all works. And while we don't see enough of Bobby Lee in the film who seems to be able to make you laugh without doing much, we do get Neil Patrick Harris playing himself as a closeted heterosexual. That scene is not just really funny throughout, but it steals the show. His scene is nothing short of a "must see" moment that is destined to be classic.

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