A Very Merry Christmas

Last night, I went to see the new movie, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. The first Harold & Kumar film was a pleasant surprise to me. I went almost on a whim, and ended up liking the movie far more than I expected I would. The second film was an unfortunate disappointment to me. I was hoping for the some of the same fun and laughs of the original, but found that this sequel to a "dumb comedy" had gone far too "dumb" and not nearly far enough with the "comedy." For this third movie, I was hoping/expecting something between those two extremes.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this movie the best of the three Harold and Kumar films. It worked on several levels. The humor was sharp, without being overly raunchy. But best of all, it was often smart humor too. There were clever in-jokes made for all of the key actors, and the work they've been doing since making the last H&K film.

On television lately, there's been a lot of humorous mileage out of "cute babies," particularly on Modern Family and Raising Hope. This movie threw its hat into that ring by bringing a baby into the mix, and the hilarity that ensues is some of the best in the movie. (Assuming you don't take it too seriously and end up offended.)

But the best mileage by far is milked from the 3D conceit of the movie. This is no simple 2D conversion of an existing movie. And while I'm not sold on 3D in the movies in general, it was absolutely integral here -- more so even than in a movie like Avatar. From the Platoon-style parody that opens the film, through the Tarantino-esque shootout in the middle of the film, to the final shot of Santa driving his sleigh right at you, the movie is crammed full of hilarious 3D gags. And no matter how many times you see wisps of pot smoke wafting toward you in 3D, it keeps being funny. In short: if you think you're ever going to want to see this movie, do yourself a favor and go see it in 3D at the theater.

The comedy pairing of John Cho and Kal Penn is in perfect form here, and the two bring some surprising and genuine sentiment to the movie as well. There's a holiday sweetness to the movie that I found unexpected, but didn't feel at all forced. And then, of course, Neil Patrick Harris kills his cameo, just as he did in the first two movies. There's an extra added "meta" level to the joke this time out, making his appearance once again a highlight of the movie.

I might be surprised to say it, and you might be even more surprised to read it, but I'd rate A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas an A-. It's one of the better movies (and best comedies) I've seen this year. It gets my enthusiastic recommendation.