Review: The Hangover Part 2

bill bodkin rolls deep with The Wolfpack …

Two summers ago, audiences fell in love with an unlikely trio dubbed “The Wolfpack” — cocky family man Phil (Bradley Cooper), neurotic dentist Stu (Ed Helms) and bearded misfit Alan (Zach Galifianakis). These three characters propelled The Hangover to become the most successful R-rated comedy of all-time. Outside of its commercial success, the film is a side-splittingly honest, absurd and insane film that remains one of the most highly rewatchable and quotable films released in the last decade.

Like many audience members, I can remember thinking as the credits rolled: “I could watch these three characters do anything.”

That was until I saw The Hangover Part 2.

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: The Hangover Part 2 is a funny movie. There are definite laugh-out-loud moments and there are quite a few of them. This is not, in any way, an unfunny movie. If you just want a good laugh and a good time at the movies, this film will definitely do the job. Cooper, Helms and, of course Galifianakis, have a great chemistry and provide a lot of laughs, especially Galifianakis, who as always steals the entire movie. Although Helms may have the best scene in the film, when he’s drunkenly inciting a riot in the middle of Bangkok. And even though you see this scene in the trailer, it’s still comic gold.

However, it does not hold a candle to the original film.

The reason? The film puts too much emphasis on the crazy situations Stu, Alan and Phil could get into, instead of the dynamite chemistry that the three characters have. Yes, the trio got into plenty of outrageous situation in the first film, but that was never the point. What the first film did brilliantly was allow us to get to know the characters; it took its time, despite there being a deadline they had to meet [the wedding]. Each character was allowed to develop their own quirks, their own personalities. You actually cared about the characters and in the end the film was about friendship and bonding and making life decisions — much like director Todd Philips’ first masterwork, Old School.

In Part 2 the characters have little time to do much outside of scream and be exasperated with each other and the situation. All the film seems to care about is pushing the envelope of absurdity, violence, sexuality and idiocy. And they do all these things by taking the original plot structure of the first film and rehashing it in a new setting. Instead of their best friend being lost, it’s Stu’s future brother-in-law. Instead of loosing a tooth, Stu gets a tattoo on his face. Instead of getting mixed up with Heather Graham, Stu gets mixed up with a tranny. Instead of being tazered by cops they get beat up by monks. Oh yeah and let’s throw in a crazy monkey.

All of these things just happen, and they aren’t particularly funny. They’re just sophomoric exaggerations of plot elements from the first movie. And they happen at such a rapid pace that we lose the brilliance of Zach Galifianakis’ asides or Ed Helms’ amazing slow burn or we never see Bradley Cooper let loose and be goofy. It’s just “we gotta get to this next CRAZY scene.”

This is truly a shame because if character was allowed to take precedent over plot, you’d easily have another home run of a comedy. Instead we’re treated to a film that has become subject to the sequel machine — where the best parts of the movie are sacrificed for “upping the ante” to ensure cheap laughs.

In the end, The Hangover Part 2 will become a forgotten blockbuster. It’ll make boatloads of money, but in a few years, audiences will forget The Wolfpack’s trip to Thailand. Instead, they’ll pop their copy of the original film in and laugh as Alan inquires about pager reception or Stu sings about what tigers dream about. The Wolfpack will live on in our hearts because what happened [to them] in Vegas will forever stay [hilarious] in Vegas.