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Todd Phillips
May 19, 2011
Ed Helms’ character, Stu, is about to make his way down the aisle two years after the tragic events in Las Vegas. Stu chooses to have the wedding in Thailand because his fiancee is from there. In a last-ditch effort to escape the chaos of Doug’s (Justin Bartha) bachelor party, Stu decides to go with what he believes to be a safe choice: a nonalcoholic prewedding brunch. However, given the nature of Thailand and the presence of Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) anything can happen.
Much like “The Hangover”, “The Hangover Part II” also takes a stab at Murphy’s law. But there’s no denying that “The Hangover” was greater in almost every regard; it was a comedy that was much more subversive, out-of-control, and off-kilter, with characters that were more interesting and unpredictable, and a plot that felt new and absolutely crazy. This time, the subversion is more calibrated, and the film’s off-kilter elements are such exact replicas of the first one that hardly anything feels new or really out of control. In the previous movie, there was a strange feeling that everything would turn out okay, but in this movie, there is almost never any room for uncertainty.
The majority of “The Hangover Part II” is focused on Stu, and as Helms shown in this year’s wonderful independent Cedar Rapids, he is more than capable of exuding both heart and humor with equal vigor. This time around, Bradley Cooper plays the alpha male with even more swagger, but Zach Galifianakis truly holds the whole thing together and keeps us utterly enthralled throughout even the most well-known scenes.
There’s a good chance that “The Hangover Part II” won’t live up to your expectations if you’re hoping for another exceptional and original comic masterpiece. Most of the time, filmmaker Todd Phillips plays it safe and opts for the surefire box office smash with a tongue-in-cheek homage to the original movie that isn’t nearly as hilarious if you haven’t watched the original movie but still isn’t even close to being as funny as the original movie.
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