The Hangover Part II Left Me Suffering
Hangovers are never fun. We’ve all had them, or will have them at some point in our lives. No matter what you did the night before, you find yourself questioning on whether it was worth the pain or not. Most of the time you think “I will never, EVER do that again.” That’s exactly what I’m hoping they say to a Hangover 3.
I saw The Hangover in the theater and thought it was an absolute riot. I was nervous when I heard there was a part two in the works because I didn’t think it was necessary. The first trailer that came out looked to be pretty decent and I thought maybe, just maybe, they could pull it off. They didn’t.
I love the cast but this time around the film just didn’t have the same vibe that the first one did. Which is kind of strange because the events of the second film are almost identical to the first. Instead of Doug getting married this time, it’s Stu. The bachelor party isn’t in Vegas, it’s in Bangkok. Once again no one remembers anything and once again it’s Alan’s fault. The whole next day and a half is spent trying to retrace steps, getting in more trouble and trying to find the missing buddy. Finally Stu sings a funny song and has another confrontation that makes him seem to man up a bit. Sounds familiar right?
Formula isn’t anything new with films. It happens in the horror genre all. the. time. While this premise A) worked in the first film and B) seemed to work for this one on paper, it certainly didn’t translate to film. I really don’t think I had a hearty out-loud laugh at all. I don’t even recall snickering. It’s a shame too because it could have been really great.
To sum it up, Stu is getting married to a beautiful Thai gal in Thailand. Her father doesn’t like him and she has a wunderkind of a younger brother. His buddies, Doug and Phil, and their wives, and even Alan head to Thailand for the wedding. After a mellow night on the beach with a bonfire and a six-pack, Phil, Stew and Alan awaken in a Bangkok hotel room. With no memory of the events from the previous night that led to Alan’s shaved head, and Stu’s Mike Tyson-inspired facial tattoo, the trio try to retrace their steps to find Stu’s soon-to-be brother-in-law and get back to the resort where the wedding is taking place. Familiar faces are seen and a sense of severe déjà vu blankets the entire film.
One of the main problems I had with this film was Alan. In the first film he was the bumbling fool with a kind heart. You couldn’t help but like him. Somewhere between the first film and the second, he became almost mean and vindictive. I couldn’t help but not like him. That schtick didn’t work for me at all. I really can’t say much about the technical aspects of the film. Yeah the acting was fine. They all played their parts just as well as they did in the first one. The filming was fine blah blah blah. I do really love the cast and they all have great chemistry together. That’s what makes the fact that this film was disappointing such a downer. I will say that I was very happy to see that everyone came back. Even Tracy. There’s nothing I hate more than when roles are recast.
Perhaps if the premise (a wedding) hadn’t been reused it would have been fodder for different gags. I’m not sure how many different ways you can tell a story like this, but there’s got to be another fresh premise out there right? One of the chief complaints about Hollywood these days is the lack of original material. Unfortunately The Hangover II suffers from that very problem. If The Hangover was the fun night full of debauchery and booze, The Hangover Part II is the next morning where you swear you’ll never drink again.
Tags: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, The Hangover II, Zack Galifinakis
