I think by now everyone has figured out that “The Hangover Part 2” is essentially a remake of the first film. This creates a dilemma; do we dislike this sequel automatically because it brings nothing new to the material and its characters? Or do we just accept it for what it is and just have fun regardless? Most sequels are pale imitations of the movies that somehow justified their existence, and they usually have the actors and filmmakers just going through the motions for an easy paycheck. You can either bitch and moan about it, or just put up with what’s on the screen.
For me “The Hangover Part 2” was actually pretty good for a remake, and it helps that the same director and actors are on board for this one. Granted, the law of diminishing returns does apply to this one as the surprise is no longer there, but I did laugh hard at many scenes and that was enough for me. It also threatens to be even raunchier than the original to where you laugh more in shock than anything else. Seeing what they got away with before, this time it looks like they got away with murder.
This time the Wolfpack are messing things up in Thailand, or Thighland as Alan (Zach Galifianakis) calls it (I made that same mistake once). The occasion is the wedding of Stu (Ed Helms) to the love of his life, someone other than Heather Graham (WHA??!!). Both Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are invited, and Alan comes along even though the guys are seriously uncomfortable in bringing him long after what happened in Las Vegas.
Before the wedding, they have a bonfire on the beach with some bottled Budweiser to celebrate. Next thing they know, the three of them (Doug was smart enough this time to go back to his hotel room) find themselves waking up in some disgusting apartment in Bangkok. Alan finds his head shaved, Stu now has that same tattoo Mike Tyson has, and Phil just wakes up all sweaty because he’s just too sexy to do anything that reckless. There’s one big problem though; the younger brother of Stu’s fiancée who went along with them is now missing. Once again, they need to find the missing member of their party before the wedding commences.
The first thing going through my mind when they end up getting hung over again was how can Budweiser beer get our main characters this messed up? Once they come to see the things they did that they cannot remember, I seriously thought that these guys were the cheapest drunks imaginable. They can’t bother to get any Thailand beer instead? They don’t even have to wait for this stuff to be imported to them! Of course, the real reason they got wasted does come to light later on, and it has nothing to do with Budweiser. Regardless, they are none the wiser than last time.
I really can’t talk too much about “The Hangover Part 2” as I’ll simply be giving away the funniest parts of the film. Many of the events that befall our characters do have some resemblance to the original, and some of them come with a seriously eye opening twist. Just when you thought that movies could not be any more shocking or raunchy, this one shows how far the envelope can be pushed.
Zach Galifianakis once again steals the show as Alan Garner, the man child who means well but is seriously demented in the way he gets people closer to him. His endlessly awkward ways guarantee that this wedding will have serious problems, but his reaction to what goes on around him is constantly priceless. You know he’s gonna do something screwy, and the tension that builds up to those moments had me in hysterics.
Actually, the one actor who almost steals the movie from Zach is Ken Jeong who returns as gangster Leslie Chow. For some bizarre reason, he and Alan became really good friends despite the stuff that went down between them in Vegas. Some may find Jeong’s character of Chow offensive, but he is so off the wall and hard to pin down that labeling him as some sort of caricature feels impossible. Under the circumstances, Ken’s bigger part in this sequel was very well deserved.
It’s also fun to see Ed Helms back as Stu, and that’s even though he’s no longer with Heather Graham’s character. Having conquered and left his annoyingly snobby girlfriend from the first movie, he now has to face down his future father-in-law who compares him to rice porridge in front of the wedding guests. What the hell is it about being a dentist that makes one pummel on them like they have no reason to live? Do these characters even known how hard it is to become a dentist?
Bradley Cooper is fun to watch as well, although I can’t understand how he gets out of these incidents relatively unscathed compared to his friends. I mean, nothing bad happens to him right away, but unlike Alan and Stu, all that happens is he wakes up with a headache and all sweaty, ruining a perfectly good white collar shirt. Even when his character acts like a jerk, Bradley still has us along for the ride.
Director Todd Phillips knows what made the first one work, and he keeps things snappy throughout. There is a bit of a lull in the middle where the laughs start to feel few and far in between, but things do pick up by the ending. Regardless of how well we know the formula now, this film is still entertaining from start to finish.
To say that “The Hangover Part II” is not original is beside the point. It’s a sequel, and it’s coming out at a time where Hollywood doesn’t seem to be all that interested in anything original. All that matters is that everyone involved still put on a good show, and many laughs will be had. I don’t know about you but I can’t really argue with that.
I imagine at some point there will be “The Hangover Part 3.” While I’m happy to give these guys a pass for doing the same thing on this one, they may want to take things in a different direction next time. Perhaps they could form a group helping those with hangovers. You know, save them from making complete asses of themselves, and help them cover up their more embarrassing moments. I can see it now:
“If someone’s hung over in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?”
“HANGOVER-BUSTERS!!!”
* * * out of * * * *
For me “The Hangover Part 2” was actually pretty good for a remake, and it helps that the same director and actors are on board for this one. Granted, the law of diminishing returns does apply to this one as the surprise is no longer there, but I did laugh hard at many scenes and that was enough for me. It also threatens to be even raunchier than the original to where you laugh more in shock than anything else. Seeing what they got away with before, this time it looks like they got away with murder.
This time the Wolfpack are messing things up in Thailand, or Thighland as Alan (Zach Galifianakis) calls it (I made that same mistake once). The occasion is the wedding of Stu (Ed Helms) to the love of his life, someone other than Heather Graham (WHA??!!). Both Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are invited, and Alan comes along even though the guys are seriously uncomfortable in bringing him long after what happened in Las Vegas.
Before the wedding, they have a bonfire on the beach with some bottled Budweiser to celebrate. Next thing they know, the three of them (Doug was smart enough this time to go back to his hotel room) find themselves waking up in some disgusting apartment in Bangkok. Alan finds his head shaved, Stu now has that same tattoo Mike Tyson has, and Phil just wakes up all sweaty because he’s just too sexy to do anything that reckless. There’s one big problem though; the younger brother of Stu’s fiancée who went along with them is now missing. Once again, they need to find the missing member of their party before the wedding commences.
The first thing going through my mind when they end up getting hung over again was how can Budweiser beer get our main characters this messed up? Once they come to see the things they did that they cannot remember, I seriously thought that these guys were the cheapest drunks imaginable. They can’t bother to get any Thailand beer instead? They don’t even have to wait for this stuff to be imported to them! Of course, the real reason they got wasted does come to light later on, and it has nothing to do with Budweiser. Regardless, they are none the wiser than last time.
I really can’t talk too much about “The Hangover Part 2” as I’ll simply be giving away the funniest parts of the film. Many of the events that befall our characters do have some resemblance to the original, and some of them come with a seriously eye opening twist. Just when you thought that movies could not be any more shocking or raunchy, this one shows how far the envelope can be pushed.
Zach Galifianakis once again steals the show as Alan Garner, the man child who means well but is seriously demented in the way he gets people closer to him. His endlessly awkward ways guarantee that this wedding will have serious problems, but his reaction to what goes on around him is constantly priceless. You know he’s gonna do something screwy, and the tension that builds up to those moments had me in hysterics.
Actually, the one actor who almost steals the movie from Zach is Ken Jeong who returns as gangster Leslie Chow. For some bizarre reason, he and Alan became really good friends despite the stuff that went down between them in Vegas. Some may find Jeong’s character of Chow offensive, but he is so off the wall and hard to pin down that labeling him as some sort of caricature feels impossible. Under the circumstances, Ken’s bigger part in this sequel was very well deserved.
It’s also fun to see Ed Helms back as Stu, and that’s even though he’s no longer with Heather Graham’s character. Having conquered and left his annoyingly snobby girlfriend from the first movie, he now has to face down his future father-in-law who compares him to rice porridge in front of the wedding guests. What the hell is it about being a dentist that makes one pummel on them like they have no reason to live? Do these characters even known how hard it is to become a dentist?
Bradley Cooper is fun to watch as well, although I can’t understand how he gets out of these incidents relatively unscathed compared to his friends. I mean, nothing bad happens to him right away, but unlike Alan and Stu, all that happens is he wakes up with a headache and all sweaty, ruining a perfectly good white collar shirt. Even when his character acts like a jerk, Bradley still has us along for the ride.
Director Todd Phillips knows what made the first one work, and he keeps things snappy throughout. There is a bit of a lull in the middle where the laughs start to feel few and far in between, but things do pick up by the ending. Regardless of how well we know the formula now, this film is still entertaining from start to finish.
To say that “The Hangover Part II” is not original is beside the point. It’s a sequel, and it’s coming out at a time where Hollywood doesn’t seem to be all that interested in anything original. All that matters is that everyone involved still put on a good show, and many laughs will be had. I don’t know about you but I can’t really argue with that.
I imagine at some point there will be “The Hangover Part 3.” While I’m happy to give these guys a pass for doing the same thing on this one, they may want to take things in a different direction next time. Perhaps they could form a group helping those with hangovers. You know, save them from making complete asses of themselves, and help them cover up their more embarrassing moments. I can see it now:
“If someone’s hung over in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?”
“HANGOVER-BUSTERS!!!”
* * * out of * * * *
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