rating: ★★★★

Who wouldn’t want to find NPH in their stocking on Christmas?

Like many movie franchises before them, Harold and Kumar have gone on holiday with their new movie A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. This third entry in the franchise is a clear departure from last two films.

The most obvious departure is the 3D, but luckily most of the 3D gags take place early in the film. Whereas the first two films take place within mere days of each other, this one occurs a few years in the future and (horror of horrors!) Harold and Kumar are no longer friends.

Harold is married, works on Wall Street and lives out in the suburbs where his main holiday stress is procuring his father-in-law’s acceptance.

Kumar lives in the pair’s old apartment. He has no job, no girlfriend and depends on his beloved herb to get by. They are reunited when a mysterious package comes for Harold at the apartment and Kumar has to drop it off. The package contains the biggest blunt you will ever see and burns down Harold’s father-in-law’s prize Christmas tree.

This sets the two friends off on a madcap adventure with their two new counterparts, Todd and Adrian, played by Thomas Lennon and Amir Blumenfeld. Todd, Adrian and Todd’s baby are forced together when they encounter Russian mobsters and Harold and Kumar set off in search of a new Christmas tree. The baby provides a nice subplot and is clearly the coolest character in the movie, when, on her first night out, she does three different drugs and single-handedly takes on a mob boss.

The entire gang is back together with the notable exception of the giant bag of weed, something that I sorely missed. But Neil Patrick Harris is back and, in one of the funniest parts of the movie, masquerades as a gay man so he can meet more women.

Although Harris died in the last film, he was kicked out of heaven for receiving manual stimulation in Jesus’ nightclub, getting him sent back to Earth. Besides their two new friends and the baby, Danny Trejo gives a chilling performance as Harold’s father-in-law. Perhaps the film’s best newcomer is a waffle-bot, a waffle-making robot Neil gives to Kumar. Waffle-bot and Kumar fall in love as they both think “pancakes are gay” and the robot ends up being the real hero, saving Harold and Kumar’s lives.

Harold and Kumar learn life lessons and discover the meaning of Christmas in the standard and predictable Christmas way. Despite the cliché ending, they get there in the most interesting ways. There are plenty of the old gags and new ones to satisfy even the most discerning of fans.

You will laugh, you will groan and you will consider giving young children ecstasy. It is a hilarious and satisfying third film to round out the trilogy — definitely a must-see. As an added bonus, it’s basically a nudity free-for-all, complete with Harold getting his penis stuck to a metal pole. What’s not to like?

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Photo: Supplied