Hangover Part II

the wolf pack is back, this time in Thailand for Stu's second wedding (planned this time). His future in-laws are traditionally Thai, and her dad makes Meet the Parents' DeNiro seem almost friendly with his scathing analogy of Stu to a bowl of soft, soggy rice. Stu is a very conservative man, reticent to have any kind of pre-marital celebration with his friends due to his wild experiences at Doug's bachelor party in Vegas. Totally understandable. Enter Phil and Alan, both pushing for a good time, but each with their separate motives.

Alan (Galifinakis) is truly the catalyst of the shenanigans and mostly uncomfortable situations. Burning buildings, gunfire, animals, hermaphrodites, and criminal dealings are just a part of the 24 hour endurance of hell that Stu, Phil, and Alan go through while searching for Teddy, the missing little brother of Stu's fiance.

The film picks up right where the last leaves off, but there is a lingering sense of deja vu that never quite goes away. The reason for this is that the story is an exact retelling of the first film. The formula changes venue and in some cases characters, but the plot mimics like a remake.

That can be overlooked for the simple fact that Ed Helms and Zack Galifinakis are hilarious. Stu hates Alan, but reluctantly invites him on the trip to satisfy Doug's wife's request. Immediately, the story shows multiple angles that create foreshadowing, and before we know, the gang is waking up in a dingy Bankok motel room with a tattoo, a severed finger, and a monkey.

The crude meter is pushed up a notch with more gratuitous male nudity, finding itself in Sacha Baron Cohen territory. I suppose in this day and age, R rated comedies can't succeed without that little envelope push, and this film although not entirely surprising, is a bit refreshing with some of the jokes.

Todd Phillips continues his comedy success with this no-brainer. After grossing as much money as the original did, the studio would be stupid not to pursue a sequel. The only problem is that they played it a little too safe. A little too easy. The outlandish jokes were set up like an intentional walk, and knocked out of the park with predictable grace by the funnymen.

Helms takes more of a lead role in this one, and is hilarious doing a rendition of Billy Joel. Galifinakis owns as well. He was born to play Alan, and a likely third installment will focus on his nuptials, which will certainly be the best of the trilogy. Bradley Cooper is another story. Not entirely funny, he's given some good lines, but plays the pretty boy, the frat boy who wants to party, but who doesn't feel the bane of poor decisions as much as the others. He fits though as the leader of the wolfpack, and seems like he is having a great deal of fun along the way.

The wild rumors of Bill Clinton, Mel Gibson, and Liam Neeson turned out to be nothing more than a tease, but the bar was set so high that it is impossible to please the audiences.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit more originality, but what I wanted to see was Zack Galifinakis, and I got a lot of uncomfortable laughs, and a few unexpected ones. The plot dragged on a bit too long, and the resolution was quick and unsatisfying. There will be a third one if the film breaks the $200 million mark, which it is well on its way to doing. It is already the 4th highest grossing R comedy of all time, so you can expect another if the cast is agreeable and a good script is written.

My advice for what it's worth, take a leap of faith on a new storyline, give me a call Warner Bros, I'll write something up for a very small back end percentage.

Funny movie, but not as good as the first. 7/10.