It's hard enough to churn out successful sequels to action, drama or sci-fi films , but comedic follow-ups are easily the most difficult to accomplish. The miniscule amount of franchises in the comedy realm is a testament to the rarity of such films reaching blockbuster status. Unlike the other genres, comedies have a much lower replay value. Tell the same joke to the same people in a relatively short amount time and it gets stale faster than a loaf of bread during Passover Seder. Sure, a great joke can be timeless, just as long as there is at least one set of virgin ears in the group to facilitate the punch line’s impact. Unfortunately for The Hangover Part II, its predecessor left no such pair of ears unscaved.
It’s happened again! The wolfpack has found themselves in a blacked out stupor with not a fathom of what’s happened the night before and only 2 days before one of their member’s wedding. This time around it’s Stu (Ed Helms, The Hangover, The Office) who’s getting hitched and the location has changed from Vegas to Thailand. Also, instead of losing their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha, The Hangover, National Treasure), who is safe and secure at the wedding venue, they have misplaced the innocent and shy 16-year-old brother of Stu’s fiancée somewhere in the depths of Bangkok.
The Hangover’s success was due to the very relatable experience of a night of debochery that ensues during a bachelor party. But what really forced the needle to fly right off the hilarity meter was the amped up and over-the-top level of absurdness that few bachelor parties could ever hope to attain. Rather than focusing on the most interesting and humorous factor of how such madness could transpire all over again, The Hangover Part II’s script is simply a Mad Libs version of the original. The sequel is expected to keep the same premise that jolted the careers of its stars, but the story was starved for originality. The new writers on this film, which includes director Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School), should have looked to the benchmark set by the National Lampoon’s Vacation series. It too kept a very similar premise throughout the franchise, however more than just the scenery was changed from chapter to chapter. The scenarios were each original to their perspective stories but remained embedded with the familiar and beloved traits of the main characters. Instead of tyring to exceed or even differentiate The Hangover Part II from Jon Lucas’ and Scott Moore’s original magnum opus, the writers simply rested on past laurels.
The only gas in the tank of this film is the effort of the great characters who all return for a second go around. Zach Galifianakis (Due Date, The Hangover) remains the top idiot of idiot savants in the role of Alan, however this time there was less savant and too much aggression added to his social awkwardness. The same proportion goes for Ed Helms’ Stu as his freak out sessions click up a few notches, but both actors are able to maintain the overall familiar tone of their characters for most of the film. Bradley Cooper’s (Limitless, The Hangover) position as the wolfpack’s amoral alpha glue, Phil, is perhaps simultaneously the most underrated and disappointing. Cooper excels as the psuedo narrator for the outlandish circumstances surrounding the trio as Phil keeps the wolfpack grounded and together while always managing to have a little fun of his own as they try to piece together their memories. Unfortunately Phil’s backstory is once again mostly ignored and he remains the most underdeveloped character in the story.
Stand out supporting roles include the returning Ken Jeong (Community, The Hangover) as Mr. Chow and Paul Giamatti (Win Win, John Adams) as supposed crime lord Kingsley. These would have been great complementary pieces in a more original plot, but instead they are used as mere distractions from a poor doppelganger.
The Hangover Part II is little more than a contact high of its precursor and although some of the mirrored scenes from the original do manage to slip in small, unexpected turns that elicit a few belly laughs, the film equates to a stand-up comedian that only gets half way through the first joke before hearing a heckler shout, “I’ve heard this one already.”
Story: 5.5
Acting: 6.5
Writing: 7.0
Captivation: 6.5
Replay Value: 6.5
Total = 6.4 out of 10
