Socially conscious film satirizes Christmas

For a movie series about two stoners, the Harold and Kumar films are surprisingly socially conscious.

The first film, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, was a subtle and brilliant critique of stereotypes in rural regions hidden under the veneer of a munchies-driven road trip.

 

The second, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, attempted to bring satire to the film’s forefront, targeting politics and terrorism, but ultimately failed because of its lack of wit.

Now the series is going after Christmas.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas reunites the infamous duo. Harold (John Cho) is now married and living an uptight, corporate life. Kumar (Kal Penn) has lost his ambition and drive in life, preferring to smoke pot all day. When he discovers his ex-girlfriend is pregnant, he’s left at a loss.

The delinquent duo reassembles on Christmas Eve, and things immediately go awry. Trying to please Harold’s Christmas-obsessed father-in-law (Danny Trejo, subverting his usual tough-guy role), Harold and Kumar end up on another night of adventure.

Unfortunately, the adventure is more over-the-top than any of the other installments. Much of the film meanders into pranks that ultimately do not serve the point of the film. Waffle-making robots, Ukranian gangsters, musical numbers and other shenanigans are sprinkled throughout the movie, yet feel more like sketches than progressing plot points.

The plot is predictable and cliché, but puts heavy emphasis on the film’s side characters.

Unfortunately, the side characters are not that interesting.

Kumar gains a sidekick in Aaron (Amir Blomenfeld of CollegeHumor fame), who comes off as Blomenfeld’s usual persona, with fewer amusing lines. Additionally, Tom Lennon plays Harold’s milquetoast co-worker who, while amusing at first, grows staid midway through the film.

These characters overshadow the series’ other main star: Neil Patrick Harris, who returns as a drugged-up, nymphomaniac self-parody. As with the last two films, Harris is entertaining and has great chemistry with Cho and Penn, but his screen time is cut short.

The film does much better with its leads. Cho and Penn continue to have excellent chemistry as Harold and Kumar, and their relationship arc is one of the film’s better parts. The range they manage to bring to a stoner comedy is enjoyable, and Cho’s ability to go from aggressive to frantic to enigmatic at the drop of a line is particularly noteworthy.

The film’s satire is what makes this movie from being a complete mess. The film keeps the commentary subtle, more akin to White Castle’s treatment than Guantanamo Bay’s in-your-face flair.

Shout outs to “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and A Christmas Carol are scattered throughout the movie, with a very snarky twist befitting the absurdity and humor of the series.

Most notably, 3-D Christmas takes elements from iconic Christmas specials and runs with them. It’s strange and unexpected, but the film eventually becomes so surreal that drug-fueled scenes of angry snowmen and Santa’s sleigh feel natural.

The satire gets particularly good when the duo’s Jewish friends Rosenberg (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Goldstein (David Krumholtz) enter. Another direction is added to the satire, targeting the holiday as a whole and not just its specific tropes. Like the leads, Rosenberg and Goldstein continue to be highly entertaining characters and provide a dose of humor in a movie stuck with poor quips and a weak plot.

The movie is highly self-aware — more so than any other installment in the series. Jokes aimed at Cho and Penn’s other roles provide some of the better laughs, while the sole Harris scene plays with the fourth wall and the general formulas of mainstream films.

3-D Christmas particularly pokes fun at the use of 3-D in films, mocking its gimmickry and making the very obviously made-for-3-D bits more over-the-top and random than they logically should be.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas isn’t the best film of the series, and not that great of a film in general, but it does manage to provide a satirical edge better than its predecessors. It’s a shame the good moments don’t fully redeem the movie.