It has happened again. You would think that after one messed up bachelor party and an almost-ruined wedding they would’ve learned their lesson. Unfortunately, despite a few precautionary measures, they haven’t.
Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are back in the wonderfully hilarious, if not completely inappropriate sequel to the original "Hangover." But “The Hangover 2” isn’t really a sequel to anything. Sure, it may be the second “Hangover” movie, but it is essentially the first one--remade in a new city, with a new person missing.
This time, the Wolfpack is in the exotic country of Thailand for Stu’s wedding, and Stu still has the memory of the first horribly awesome bachelor party (for us at least) fresh in his mind. Trying to prevent another disaster, he proposes that his bachelor party contain nothing more than a trip to a local IHOP for a pre-wedding trip brunch. However, his friends have none of that. Once in Thailand, they persuade Stu to have one last beer with the gang as an unwedded man late one night out on the beach. Stu’s soon-to-be wife, Lauren (Jamie Chung), persuades the guys to include her little brother Teddy (Mason Lee) in their premarital festivities.
Here is where everything takes a turn for the worse. Stu, Phil and Alan wake up in a rundown hotel room in the middle of Bangkok with no recollection of what happened: how Stu ended up with a Mike Tyson tattoo, why the international criminal Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is unconscious in the bathroom or why Alan’s head is shaved. Or why Teddy’s finger is in a bowl of water but the rest of Teddy is not there. The gang must search the streets of Bangkok for clues that lead to their missing friend before the wedding or risk ruining the happiest day of Stu’s life.
As it was with the original “Hangover,” Alan and Mr. Chow are the two characters that make the movie worth seeing. Galifianakis (“Due Date” and “Up in the Air”) and Jeong (“Role Models” and “Knocked Up”) never fail to induce laughter, no matter what they do--and this movie is no exception.
Warner Bros. Pictures and director Todd Phillips draw from the huge success of the 2009 hit, keeping much of the same cast (and essentially the same plot--with a few twists). However, this movie is rated R for a reason. Strong pervasive language, extremely sexual content (including graphic nudity), drug use and brief violent images make this movie one of the more crudely-humored movies of the year. I would not recommend this movie for families with young children or those who are uncomfortable with nudity or drug use.
Due to the fact that many jokes and most of the plot were pretty predictable, seeing this movie in theaters is not a must. You will be able to get pretty much the same effect if you watch it in the comfort of your own home where food is free and you don’t have to listen to the obnoxious people behind you talk about how they could tell what was happening next.
photo courtesy of hangoverpart2.warnerbros.com