By Malice Intended
The notorious Wolfpack reunite for another night of danger and debauchery. This time, the foursome gets together in Thailand to celebrate Stu’s (Ed Helms) impending nuptials. As expected, things get out of hand and the guys have way too much of a good time. When the smoke clears, they all wake up in Bangkok with no recollection of what transpired the night before. What’s worse, they’ve misplaced the bride’s younger brother in the process. Can the gang find him and make it back in time for the wedding?
The Hangover Part II is the inevitable sequel to 2009’s insanely successful The Hangover. It features all of the principle players from the first film, along with writer/director Todd Philips. As with most sequels, the film ups the ante in every conceivable way. By the end of the film, the audience may feel just as tired and disheveled as the antagonists, though not for the reasons the filmmakers may have intended.
The look of the film is identical to the first, opening with a long montage that surveys the damage in the hotel room. Clues as to what transpired the night before are strewn about haphazardly. The main purpose of the camera is to serve as a bemused observer as the foolishness unfolds. The film does take full advantage of Bangkok as an exotic locale and the scenes where the characters arrive in the country are decidedly picturesque.
Like many modern comedies, The Hangover films revel in frat boy shock humor. This time, the shock portion of that equation is allowed to run rampant, with unfortunate results. Many bits go for the raunchiest and most extreme outcomes. There is hardly a punch line in this film that does not involve a sex organ or a sex act. That would not be a problem if these insane developments were actually funny. Most of the time, they just play as some extreme form of exhibitionism. The viewer may be compelled to watch out of sheer morbid curiosity, but they won’t be inspired to laugh nearly as much as they’d hoped.
The character of Alan is another casualty of the film’s penchant for pushing the envelope. In the first film, his incessant weirdness exuded its own charm. He was child-like, living for the love of his buddies and just happy to be along for the ride. Here, that charming weirdness has morphed into a full-on psychosis. His antics are inappropriate at best and life-threatening at worst. You almost wonder why the other three would ever bother with someone so clearly out of their mind.
None of the problems with Alan stem from Zach Galifinakis. He does exactly what is required of him and the stays true to the groundwork he laid in the first film. The same goes for Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Justin Bartha. They obviously were prodded by the filmmakers to go full tilt, which they do. The reactions to each absurd situation are suitably exaggerated. Unfortunately, the screenplay is an exact facsimile of the first film. There is not one plot development that fans will not be able to predict beforehand.
At the end of the day, The Hangover Part II is a monument to pointless weirdness. Think about how motorist slow down to survey the carnage of a horrible traffic accident and you’ll get the idea. That is pretty much the only thing that saves the movie being completely forgettable and unwatchable. Once you start watching, you absolutely have to see this bizarre journey to its end. Once you reach your destination, you will question whether or not the trip was worth the time, effort, or money. The first Hangover didn’t leave the audience with any doubts. That’s why a sequel was commissioned in the first place. Somewhere along the way, Todd Philips forgot that.
2.75 Out of 5
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