The Hangover Part III

The epic conclusion as stated in the ads, has finally arrived. In 2009, The Hangover became the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, and it spawned offspring. Unfortunately, no matter how good the chemistry between cast-mates and no matter how focused the director and writers, it is really difficult to make a comedy sequel.

The Hangover II took us through the same storyline in a different setting, hoping to capitalize on shock humor and Zack Galifianakis' comedic star power. His Alan is a fascinating character with such shallowness that there is massive depth and endless possibilities. Sadly, the recycled humor in Hangover II set the third one up for a bit of dubiousness. Aside from giving away much of the best in the previews, it is simply stale. Other films have jumped on the bandwagon in the last 4 years, but none were as effective as the original Hangover.

Hangover III had an opportunity to do something fresh, but again, kidnapping and ransom became pivotal coercion tactics for the Wolf Pack to do unthinkable and unscrupulous things. The story begins with Alan making another boneheaded decision that leads to his parents' disappointment. This one involves a giraffe, and it's actually pretty funny. We then find ourselves in a ridiculous caper where the Pack has to find Mr. Chow (redundant humor) and $42 million in gold or else their friend Doug will be killed. Not very original. They drive to Mexico, and back to Vegas where they ultimately find themselves in the climactic showdown.

There are some very funny parts, none more so than halfway through the closing credits when Ed Helms' Stu finds himself once again physically altered (remember the face tattoo in HOII? This is much, much funnier). The dialogue is raunchy and pedantic, with F-bombs thrown around like crazy, and Galifianakis' Alan making the most ridiculous statements that the rest of the guys either shrug off, or tell him how stupid he is. "Did you know that this whole hotel is made of marbles?" The whole point is a fun-filled stress ride of debauchery, and the three guys (and Mr. Chow) make a good team. Bradley Cooper is the leader. The cool, good-looking, problem-solver. Ed Helms is the paranoid voice of reason who is constantly in a state of panic, and Zack Galifianakis is the comic relief. In a comedy, that's a pretty pivotal role, and he is definitely in his element, though his character is made to be even more crazy now that he's off his meds. Ken Jeong is the kooky Asian gangster, Leslie Chow, and we thought we saw the end of his genitals in HOII, but we haven't. Awesome. Thanks Todd Phillips. He takes a much more central role in the story, but his annoying high-pitched self-deprecating Asian accent gets old very quickly.

Todd Phillips is a very funny comedy writer and director, but this is limited by the talent. In Old School he had Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn. In Starsky and Hutch he had Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, and in the Hangover movies he had Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Great comedic actors can make a film work, even if it is a mediocre story as long as there is sharp writing. Obviously this isn't always the case, but my point is that Phillips is doing something that many directors (or writers) could do. He hit the jackpot with The Hangover, and is riding the wave of success all the way to the bank. He isn't attached to anything else right now, and expect him to dabble in the producer role a bit more in the coming years (2012's Project X) and possibly save directorial gigs for pet projects.

Melissa McCarthy joins the cast this time around in an odd cameo that never quite goes where it should. She shares a powerful moment with Galifianakis (I just like saying his name) in a pawn shop in Vegas. Great potential energy between the two of them, and I wouldn't be surprised if they are put together sometime soon headlining a feature comedy. All in all, you know what you're getting into with The Hangover III, and Phillips tries to tie everything up nicely in the end, but there just isn't enough invested in the back stories to care all that much. This franchise is all about fart jokes and sick humor. He should have given us a little more of that, he should have been more like the original in a different way (does that even make sense?). 6/10.