The Hangover Part II

The Hangover Part II
Viewed: 5/28/2011

   The original Hangover was an epic summer comedy that embraced the ridiculous humor of classic films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off--featuring an over-the-top adventure and unforgettable characters. This summer, the trio whose misfortune gave us one the most delightful comedies of the decade, are once again wasted and hungover on disaster...but the high isn't quite as palatable as the first film. This is mainly due to the fact that it is essentially the exact same story, only in Bankok instead of Las Vegas. It's a raunchy summer movie, that is fun for fans of the first, but it doesn't pack the unexpected punch everyone had hoped it would deliver.
   Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms return as Phil, Alan, and Stu who travel to Thailand with their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha) for Stu's wedding. Despite precautions to prevent what happened at the last bachelor party, once again the unmanageable wolf pack uncaps their insanity within and engages in an evening of unspeakable deeds. Unable to remember anything, they wake up, unsure of where they are, how they got there, and where Stu's fiancee's little brother is. So, once again they must search for clues to piece their night back together so that they can once again locate a missing person in time for the groom to say "I do".
   The essential formula from the first plot is still present, the same basic time line is followed, and most of the events and plot twists are just mad-libs of the first movie. Even the soundtracks sound exactly the same and utilize the same type of music in the exact same instances. Though there are some great one-liners, hysterical physical comedy, and some surprising moments, the movie was far too predictable since it was barely a new story at all. With all the crazy situations that could have happened, or even with the ones that did, it was unsettling that the redundancy of a wedding, a missing person, animal shticks, mistaken identity, and mobster dealings had to come into play again. Really, this film is probably just as funny as the first one, and if the weddings were switched around this could have been the first one with Las Vegas as the sequel's location.  Since the first one was so great, it cannot be said that this one is not an excellent comedy as well, but it fails as a sequel. If it was re-titled: The Hangover... Again, the repetition may have been more acceptable. If any plans exist to get those three trashed one more time, breaking away from the formula and turning them loose could give the series back the shock value that sky-rocketed the original to its blockbuster status. In the meantime, go ahead and enjoy the familiarity and new fun brought by The Hangover Part II as much as you can.