Hangover III has its chuckles, lacks guffaws.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Perhaps it’s my age, or perhaps it says something about my standards, but I absolutely love the first The Hangover. Released in 2009, the film became a critical and commercial success, eventually winning the Golden Globe for Best Picture of the Year – Musical/Comedy. That much success mandated a sequel, which we got in 2011 via The Hangover Part II. Largely a remake of the first film simply set in a different location, Part II was still reasonably entertaining and had its share of solid laughs. What mattered is that we were able to see old friends again and spend a couple of fast-paced, never boring hours with them.
Part III, in theaters nationwide today, addresses the common criticism of the first sequel – that it’s essentially a carbon copy of the original – by going the complete opposite way story-wise. Instead of starting with a bachelor party gone horribly wrong, we start with a jailbreak. The film follows a completely chronological story involving the Wolfpack (Helms, Galifianakis, and Oscar-nominee Cooper) getting forced by mobsters (led by John Goodman) to find Chow (Jeong) in three days’ time, otherwise Doug (Bartha) is going to die. And when they say “die,” they really mean die.
And that’s part of the problem with Part III: its unrelenting darkness. Even Star Trek INTO DARKNESS wasn’t as dark as this film is. Director/Co-writer Todd Phillips seems to have forgotten that what made us fall in love with the Wolfpack in the first place is how fun it was to be around them. They may be going through a crisis, but watching them solve the mystery and piece together the events of the previous night was always a hysterical exercise. This time, some of the magic is missing. It takes all the way into the pictures second half, when the film returns the characters to Las Vegas, that Part III finds its rhythm and, frankly, its heart.
That’s not to say the film is a total waste, however. Aside from a slight dead patch in the middle when the gang ventures south of the border, the film keeps the laughs coming pretty often. It’s just that what once used to make us guffaw now only manages a chuckle (with the exception of a few outstandingly funny scenes, one of which involves Oscar-nominee Melissa McCarthey of Bridesmaids fame). The actors have grown into their roles over the past four years, and their easy camaraderie is evident right from the start. But even they seem a bit tired and put out by all these Hangover shenanigans; especially Bradley Cooper, who seems like he’s outgrown all this childishness after Silver Linings Playbook.
But ultimately, the question becomes whether or not this movie will make you laugh, and that’s the hardest question to answer. Comedy is inherently subjective, more so than any other movie genre. I can say that if you liked the first two (or even just the first one), you owe to yourself to see the Wolfpack close out their trilogy. And yes, this will most likely be the end, since everyone involved has said they’re moving on and have no interest in returning.
And those of you who didn’t like the first two? I’m sure you can find a better way to kill a couple of hours.
The Hangover Part III
Released May 23rd, 2013
Rated R for profanity, violence, and drug use
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: B-
To contact the author, e-mail: deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com