A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

I have an affection for raunchy comedies and I love 3D so this marriage in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" definitely filled voids in places where most movies have been lacking as of late.

First and foremost, the movie was entertaining throughout with no dull moments. All the characters were great and Neil Patrick Harris was hysterical. Although some might think this film could be considered lowbrow, it really isn't because it was well written and the situations (as absurd as they are) work to even satisfy an intelligent viewer with a good time.

The 3D experience was better in this movie than most I've seen in years. It was consistent throughout, no eyestrain, very clean, and had some nice out-of-screen effects that paired well with the comedy.

As morally and politically incorrect this movie is; it ultimately does have a good message with a lot of heart and actually put me into the Holiday spirit! I know; I can't even believe I just stated that but sadly it's true. I'm definitely jaded, but then again aren't we all by now? Definitely a must see in 3D.

I thought this movie was better than Guantanamo Bay, but not quite as good as White Castle. I thought the plot was decent and it had me intrigued throughout, I just wish it didn't have those ridiculous unrealistic moments like the one with the Christmas tree and the other with the ping pong ball. There were some funny moments in the movie which I enjoyed. Just like in the other two movies, the thing I didn't like about this movie is the explicit nudity and sexual content. Overall the movie is decent, but for me personally I like movies with a realistic plot even if it is a comedy movie.

Harold & Kummar movies are mercifully free of hypocrisy, with no taboo left unviolated. This is not a film you take your mother to (let her see it by herself). Everyone is criticizing the 3D as gratuitous, but it was part of the humor, exaggerated like in Piranha 3D. I usually despise 3D as a pointless distraction; this was a rare occasion when it seemed to fit. Pot smoke wafting out towards the audience--what better use of 3D? How could anyone complain about gratuitous 3D given this film's other excesses? One could similarly call the clay animation sequence gratuitous, but it was brilliant! It seems to me that these H&K movies contain some serious messages on drugs, race, and other social issues rolled up with the crude humor.

As a standalone christmas movie, it's pretty funny. This conclusion to the classic Harold and Kumar trilogy that began when they went to White Castle before escaping from Guantanamo Bay before finally spending Christmas in New York with friends and family. The first one was a classic while the second one was meh. The third one makes fun use of the 3d pop-up effects to comic use and it's worth watching if you own it on 3d bluray. It's not for kids as it's rated a hard R. Can't wait to see what the duo comes up with in an upcoming animated series!!!

I think part of the reason the first movie worked so well is because going to White Castle is, relatively, a very simple, ordinary trip. But when it's Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) it becomes a very wild adventure. I didn't enjoy the second one as much because escaping from Guantanamo Bay wouldn't be an easy task for anybody. For this third movie, Harold and Kumar are back to turn a routine errand into a hair-raising, hazardous experience. Harold has to decorate a Christmas tree.

But when Kumar comes over and accidentally burns down the tree, they then have to find a new one, steal it from a drug-lord gangster thug, try to not rape his daughter, crash a musical production of The Nutcracker, and limit the number of people they shoot and drug (to only Santa Claus and a baby).

The 3D is of course a gimmick. They know that; we know that. It involves joints coming out of the screen and eggs, blood, and guts. It is as juvenile and pointless as you can get. But that is the point.

The jokes are of course offensive. But, again, that's the point. It makes it okay when the out-and-proud Neil Patrick Harris makes gay jokes, or when Cho and Penn make racial jokes.

I enjoyed the journey that they take in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas". Every time the baby found a new drug to imbibe, or Kumar smoked another joint, I laughed. It's the type of humour that has made the franchise so successful.