The Wolfpack is back.
Disclaimer: If you’ve seen the first Hangover film (which you probably have), the second’s really no different. In most cases this would be an exaggeration but Todd Phillips and crew layout the same format that proved to be successful for the original.
Stu (Ed Helms) has picked a seaside city in Thailand as the wedding destination for he and his bride-to-be. It boasts beautiful scenery on a beach side resort – a far cry from Bangkok.
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Deciding to forgo a bachelor party to avoid their Vegas fiasco, Stu reluctantly agrees to have one beer with the guys two nights before the wedding. That one beer results in a night of forgetful mischief.
Stu, Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) awake in a stupor at a rotten motel in Bangkok. They run through the aftermath; Alan’s hair, now shaved bald, Stu has a Mike Tyson-esque tribal tattoo covering a quarter of his face, and a chain-smoking monkey is now accompanying them.
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Stu’s future brother in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee) is now the misplaced member of their entourage. The only clue being a severed finger with Teddy’s Stanford class ring on it.
The déjà vu wears out its welcome once it’s learned the crew has been drugged once again. Fun the first time, irresponsible the second time.
And the eccentric – and always naked – Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) reemerges to help the crew retrace their steps. Encounters with silent Buddhist monks, a questionable strip club, and interaction with a crime boss, headline their Bangkok tour.
Not many big laughs or surprises in this one. Fueled by gross-out humor and Galifianakis’ man-child antics and one-liners, this film runs out of gas before it gets going.
For lovers of the original Hangover film, I'm hopeful this film won’t taint your love for the first. It’s not clear whether they’re trying to deter tourists from vacationing in Bangkok but the film certainly tries to pass it off as a place not to be taken lightly.
The movie is totally uncreative in its second approach especially with all the anticipation – and kind of insulting to the audience’s intelligence. The Hangover II is nothing more than The Hangover with Bangkok as the backdrop, earning it 1.5 out of 4 stars. It’s like the college buddies who get together and wish they were still in college. Reminiscing on good times is fun and all but sometimes it’s better to create new experiences.
Hangover II is currently showing at Muvico Theater in Rosemont. View showtimes here.
