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Is it worth $10? Yes
"It happened again," Phil (Bradley Cooper) says in the opening moments of "The Hangover Part II," and little do we realize how all encompassing that simple statement is. Sure, Phil is referring to himself, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) getting into intoxicated trouble the way they did in the megahit "The Hangover" in 2009. But Phil is unwittingly describing the movie as well: With the exception of taking place in Thailand rather than Las Vegas, director and co-writer Todd Phillips’ sequel features nearly the exact same storyline as the original.
The good news is that the recycled story once again leads to consistent laughs. The bad news is that the novelty has worn off, meaning it's just not as fun as its predecessor.
I know: If it ain't broke don't fix it, right? Hard to argue with that, but as a sequel it also has to be more outrageous and crazy, and in being so Philips takes the story down some pretty dark paths that belie the immature boyishness of the comedy.
It's straight-arrow dentist Stu's turn to get married, and he and fiancé Lauren (Jamie Chung) are tying the knot in Thailand. He doesn't want a bachelor party, but agrees when Phil, Alan, Doug (Justin Bartha) and Lauren's brother Teddy (Mason Lee) convince him to hang out by a bonfire two nights before the wedding. "All right, one drink" Stu says. Famous last words.
The next morning Stu, Phil and Alan wake in a dingy Bangkok apartment, unsure of where they are. Phil is covered in sweat. Alan’s head is shaved. Stu is in the bathtub, sans pants, sporting a new facial tattoo. There’s a monkey in a Rolling Stones jean jacket whom we later learn is a chain smoker and drug mule. And most alarmingly, international gangsta Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is passed out on the floor.
The guys retrace their steps to learn what happened the night before, and this of course is part of the fun for us. But surprisingly, it’s not all fun. In fact, there are some pretty serious things that happen (especially to Stu) that weigh down the ridiculousness of the comedy. It’s always funny, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t occasionally too heavy for its own good.
All of the actors get solid laughs, but Galifianakis' is truly a sight to behold. Alan is a socially awkward misfit with no concept of decorum. Because he's such an outward innocent we like him, but the truth is there's nothing innocent at all about his arrested development. He's a complex guy played with such a simple exterior by Galifianakis that we're happy to laugh with and at Alan as needed, all too easily ignoring his deep psychological issues. Galifianakis has yet to amuse in other roles, but as Alan he is absolutely perfect.
The film's tagline of "What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined" is accurate. Trust me: "The Hangover Part II" goes to such lengths for laughs that you literally have to see it to believe it. If nothing else, you leave admiring it for trying.
Did you know?
Although former president Bill Clinton visited the set in Thailand, he does not appear in the movie. But Mike Tyson does!
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Violet
said:
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... I thought the movie was great. I got to see the advance screening, and for all the Hangover movies, I believe this one did justice. It was funny, no dull moment. It was exactly what I expected. Story line was along the same line, I really enjoyed how they kept the same characters. I'm tired of sequals that use different characters, might as well not make the sequal, if the original actor/actresses can't play. I see it as a waist. Makes the movie a little different appeal. |
donson181
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... For the most part I agree that the story line is the same as the first one but there were some new jokes and stunts that kept me interested and the best part for me was when the monkey jumped into the guys as it made my wife jump about a foot off her seat however all of he popcorn went even higher then she did. |
jenmccarthy72
said:
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... I loved both Hangovers pretty equally. Some priceless content in this one like the girl being guy. I look forward to the 3rd one. |
ecrskr
said:
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... Even though the first was the best ever, I really enjoyed number 2 as well. I was laughing almost the entire time. My kids and I really enjoyed this movie!! |
nanook_sakari
said:
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... I like the first one better but there were some really wacky parts to this one that will not be forgotten. Even though I've tried. he-she-it? |
Perozin
said:
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... I like the first movie better. This one is funny but I did not bargain for the naked shemales. Overall is an 8. |
waxattack
said:
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... I totally agree...............this movie was very funny (Hangover 1 was still my favorite) Galifianakis for sure hands down made this movie!!!!!!! He's hilarious! |
munson_kisha
said:
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... I thought the movie was funny and had some major shock value...i went with a bunch of friends...so we were all very entertained... |
dlevi518
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... I thought it was funny and repetitive at times. The aspect that amazes me the most is the fact that someone can think of all these storylines to begin with. I definitely thought it was worth the laughs, but the first one was sooooo much better. |
Gsypydreamer
said:
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... I guess for me it was like this... I saw it once... and well, part II was like .... seeing again... so it did not impress... just kinda disappointed me that it was actually put out there as a movie. I wasn't really impressed. |
joshhollywood
said:
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... Hi there well to me if youre a trur hangover fan then 10 is the price but for me matinee price for this movie..all this shows more of CHOW and the Monkey steals half of the movie.  |
Sonic
said:
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... This review perfectly describes the film. It was definitely worth seeing it with free tickets from hudakonhollywood.com  |
ach
said:
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... Agree, but it's still funny. Usually I would totally balk at this type of retread, but I honestly didn't mind it because it was still entertaining. |
hppwdn
said:
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... This description is pretty dead on. The sequel approach is very much like when they did Home Alone 2. Generally all the same jokes, just in a new container. It's a good movie but the copycat style removes the element of surprise that made the first one so good. It's worth seeing once, but I won't be seeing it twice in the theaters like the first Hangover movie. |
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