A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) ***1/2

 

Talk about a Christmas Miracle! I was doing the usual streaming service thing, clicking through dozens of titles without really seeing anything I wanted to watch, when I saw the familiar, brown-ish faces of one of my favorite stoner duos. Was it possible that there was a Harold and Kumar movie out there that I hadn't seen? Was it streaming for free? Yes, and yes!

We first met Harold and Kumar in 2004's “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” in which these college buds get stoned, get the munchies, and try to find a White Castle restaurant to pig out at. The movie was delightfully silly, and featured a memorable cameo from Neil Patrick Harris. 2008's "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" was somewhat less delightful, considerably sillier, and its best moments once again featured Neil Patrick Harris. I found the sequel so disappointing that I guess I didn't notice when a Christmas movie came out in 2011.

The story picks up 6 years later. Harold (John Cho) has a solid, Wall Street job and is married to Maria (Paula Garces), his crush from the first movie. As great as his life looks, Harold is under considerable stress. He and Maria are struggling to get pregnant. Meanwhile, her huge family is coming for the holidays, including her intimidating father (Danny Trejo). How does Harold deal with all that stress? He just suppresses it. He doesn't smoke weed anymore, and he doesn't hang out with Kumar anymore, either. Kumar (Kal Penn), on the other hand, still gets high constantly, and his life is essentially stalled in an extended adolescence. You could honestly probably write the movie yourself from here. Kumar shows up to complicate Harold's family Christmas, and the 2 wind up having a wild, New York adventure filled with irresponsible behavior and...wait for it...Neil Patrick Harris!

This movie doesn't quite have the magic of the original, but I enjoyed it considerably more than the Guantanamo Bay movie. The story is decent, and the film has a strong supporting cast, including Danny Trejo and Thomas Lennon (from “The State” and “Reno 911”). The series redeemed itself with this one, and, as Neil Patrick Harris teases in his scene, “I'll see you in the 4^th one!”

3.5 stars out of 5