A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

Dir: Todd Strauss-Schulson

2011

***

I'm not a huge fan of what are known as 'Stoner movies' but I can appreciate them but there is something strangely appealing about the Harold & Kumar films. Putting the sex, drugs and risky humour to one side, they're incredibly inventive, refreshingly original and there's never a dull moment. There are two kinds of 'Stoner movie' in my opinion, the type whereby the script is written with stoners in the lead role and ones that are written by stoners. Now sometimes both is true but I find that the stoner films in which it is clear the writers have never once smoked a joint and rely on what they think a drug experience is like are far inferior in creativity than the ones that have been written by people that do burn the herb and were almost certainly high as kites when coming up with their ideas. When watching the original Harold & Kumar film, I could almost picture Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg giggling between themselves in a cloud of green smoke. Then when Kumar and Harold went to Guantanamo it was clear the writer/producers had a few things to say and understood the art of satire. However, in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas I don't believe a single leaf of marijuana was touched. The guys know there stuff but have also become successful and a little more grown up. Indeed, we see both Harold & Kumar have too and life isn't just about getting high anymore. That said, there is more drug taking in 3D Christmas than there is in the previous two films put together but it's all a little different. It has a lot of humour in it that, much like the first two films, didn't tickle my ribs but it probably had more going for it than before. This most definitely a Harold & Kumar adventure but they also get the Christmas element spot on. It's a fantastic festive alternative with so much creativity and some brilliant scenes. It pushes the boundaries of acceptability but the script is undeniably sharp with lots of brilliant ideas coming thick and fast. The 3D element (because every third film of a franchise has to be in 3D - it's the law) is also handled rather knowingly and they proved there was a place for it in comedy after I was sure Jackass 3D had killed it off by reaching its full potential. It's not perfect but it is hugely enjoyable, like I said, this really isn't usually my kind of film but there is a charm to the Harold & Kumar films that somehow shines through, particularly in this festive outing of theirs. It's a niche Christmas film I guess but it's now one of my favourites - Cheech and Chong take note!