As I try to wrap up another school year, I've fallen a bit behind on my movie reviews, but I'll try to rectify that situation right now. Like so many others, I too saw The Hangover Part II a couple of weekends ago when it first was released. Since then the film has received some polarizing responses from critics and fans alike. The biggest complaint most have is that this film is simply a retread of the first film.
Well let's get it out of the way, this film is exactly like the first one. This time around it is Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married and has decided to do so in Thailand. Though he wanted a simple, innocuous bachelor party Stu, along with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) wake up the next morning after a night of debauchery not remembering a thing that happened. What follows there after is the same course as the first film with the Wolfpack trying to piece together clues in order to figure what they did and how things went so terribly wrong.
Now I will admit that I was not as enamored as a lot of people were with the first film. While I definitely enjoyed it, I also felt it lacked something that would allow it to join the list of greatest comedies of all time. This time around I didn't have that same feeling. That is not to say I think that this is a better film. I just think that the obvious comfort level that the cast now has with each other and the material enabled a lot of the rough edges that I thought the first film had to disappear.
The one major drawback to this film was the choice of location. While Bangkok is a natural choice to set a film like this is, it doesn't have the same welcoming feel as Vegas did. Everything is darker and more dangerous there and you just feel dirty watching everything that happens. I think the situations the Wolfpack found themselves in during the first film are more relatable to a larger audience.
So is this a bad film because it's a retread of the original movie. Many will say yes, but I disagree. This is one instance where I think a lot of people need to get off of their high horse and just enjoy these guys have yet another bad day. We're not talking about watering down a classic piece of cinema. This is a raunchy comedy filled with nudity, violence, and foul language. It shouldn't matter what package it comes in. If you enjoy the delivery of it, you should be happy. It's likely that the film was in a no win situation. If they had completely changed up the formula, you would have others saying they miss what they enjoyed from the first movie. In this case, there was no reason to rock the boat. I would say their only crime was having this come out so soon after the first one. There was not enough of a waiting period to allow their first adventure to be forgotten.
Ultimately, The Hangover Part II has just as many laughs, but fewer surprises. It's likely that if you haven't seen it by now, you might as well just wait to video. The few surprises that the film has have either been spoiled to you already or they're simply not good enough for you to spend the $10+ to see them in the theater. Like the first one, this too can be more appreciated on the smaller screen where you can catch some of the more subtle jokes and take a closer look at the pictures of the guys' wild night during the closing credits (or in some cases, shield your eyes). It's apropos to look at this sequel like you would a second shot of alcohol. For some, just one shot is good enough and they can ride that buzz throughout the rest of the night. For others, you can't help but take another shot. And while it may be smooth going down, you may also regret it a day later. Still others can't get enough with each one just as enjoyable as the previous one. With a high tolerance, it's likely you'll enjoy The Hangover Part II. Grade: B
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