The last time we saw Harold and Kumar on the big screen, they were escaping Guantanamo Bay. The third installment in the weed-loving tandem’s adventure lacks the laugh-out-loud comedy of its predecessor. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas offers a few laughs, a few lessons, and the unnecessary use of 3D.

The movie picks up six years after the Escape of Guantanamo Bay. Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are completely estranged. Harold is now a successful businessman married to the girl of his dreams, Maria (Paula Garces). Kumar lives in the same apartment, smoking weed all day and even kicking Santa in the…shall we say, snowballs.

Maria’s Christmas-tree-loving father (Danny Trejo) and other visiting family leave Harold in charge of decorating the tree while they attend midnight mass. A mysterious package addressed to Harold arrives on Kumar’s door. Kumar delivers the package and accidently burns down the Christmas tree. The search for a new tree is the beginning of a new adventure.

For those expecting a weed-induced movie, Harold and Kumar barely use it. The uses of drugs were by the supporting characters—involuntary. Harold’s new straitlaced best friend (Thomas Lennon) and his toddler daughter have series of events that lead them to getting high and dealing with the after effects.

Kumar has a new friend also; a neighbor (Amir Blumenfield) who looks up to Kumar and almost gets everyone killed in order to have sex with the daughter of a Ukrainian crime boss. Like all the other movies, chaos ensues.

Although the movie isn’t as funny as the others, it does deal with the theme of growing up and taking care of your responsibilities. Kumar is dealing with the issues of impending fatherhood from his now ex-girlfriend (Danneel Harris) and going back to medical school after failing a drug test.

And just when we think the movie is taking on a new serious theme, Santa is shot in the head. And we are back to the Harold and Kumar we know.

Neil Patrick Harris, or NPH, returns with his hilariously sinister portrayal of his self with a Christmas theme Broadway number. He explains how he is still alive after he appeared to have been killed by prostitutes in the last movie. He even makes fun of his real life, implying that he is faking being gay because it makes it easy for him to seduce women.

I am personally a big fan of the Harold and Kumar series and I can honestly say that if I could do it again, I would save my money and get it at the Redbox.

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is an okay addition to the franchise as a Christmas film with a nice message with the unnecessary use of 3D—but it’s still Harold and Kumar. If you want to see Santa shot in the head, the effects of cocaine on a toddler, and all the craziness that we have come to expect from Harold and Kumar, then this is the movie for you.