Review: The Hangover Part II

Plot: The wolf pack returns when Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and Stu (Ed Helms) gather in Bangkok for Stu's impending wedding to the beautiful Lauren (Jamie Chung). While Stu desires only a quiet bachelor brunch with the boys, the lures of Bangkok soon lead to tattoos, a missing future brother in law, and even a run in with the coke snorting Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong).

Review: Let's face it it's difficult to produce a funny and engaging sequel to a popular comedy. For every Christmas Vacation and American Pie 2 there is a Blues Brothers 2000 and a Caddyshack II. While The Hangover Part II doesn't necessarily fall into the category of the former, it's not even close to being a member of the latter. The second edition of the franchise (as there will undoubtedly be a third because hey, this is Hollywood and money talks) is consistently funny if sometimes uneven in tone and pace.

One of the weak points of the first film was not having a clearly defined main character. While all four characters were funny and had fantastic chemistry (they still do) no one really stood out from the group as a leader. Director Todd Phillips has righted that wrong in the second Hangover making Stu the main character. Despite reportedly horrible bouts of food poisoning in Bangkok, Ed Helms puts on his best performance to date. While Stu's encounter at a Buddhist temple was hysterical, it was nothing compared to the pure shock value of Stu's discovery that he slept with a kathoey prostitute. (I just can't tell you what a kathoey prostitute is, it would ruin the surprise. Let's just say it pushes the bounds of an R rating.) Moreover, Helms exceeds at displaying Stu's struggles with his "dark side" and his desperate desire to prove to his future father in law that he is worthy of his daughter.

Cooper continues his role as the wise cracking Phil, as he gets the lion's share of the one liners in The Hangover Part II. Zach Galifiankis as Alan isn't quite as funny as he was in the original, but his lovable doofiness still shines through. Alan's initial responses during the post awakening scenes are priceless. Ken Jeong however I found to be rather boring as Mr. Chow. Jeong is quickly becoming a one trick pony as the "crazy Asian guy" in films and the performance was way over the top.

Where The Hangover Part II fails is in pacing and plot. Things seem to jump from one crazy scene to another, some of which are downright ridiculous. (Stu's future brother in law Teddy, who is the one lost in the sequel, somehow gets mixed up in the Bangkok mob? Really?) Furthermore, the reason the group blacks out again is contrived and pat. I had hoped that writers Scott Armstrong, Craig Mazin, and Todd Phillips would have come up with better plot points. Their greatest strength is in dialogue not story. Also Mike Tyson kind of randomly shows up at the end of the film. It's like they knew the audience was expecting him to be in there so they just tacked him on at the end.

One thing I did appreciate was Lawrence Sher's cinematography. He captured Bangkok in a unique way, highlighting the drab and dank nature of its slums while simultaneously illuminating the beauty of Thailand's beaches and wilderness. Sher's got my early vote for an Academy Award in cinematography although I doubt he'll even get a nomination because this is a comedy.

The best compliment I can pay The Hangover Part II is that it was a funny film. If you can look past the weak plot points, choppy pace, and slightly long duration, you'll discover a visually appealing and consistently funny film. And after all isn't laughing the real point of any comedy?

My rating: 7/10