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Todd Phillips
May 23, 2013
Two years have passed since the Wolfpack gang avoided disaster in Bangkok. Now, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) have happy lives at home — but Alan (Zach Galifianakis) doesn’t. Alan has stopped taking his medications and given in to his instincts since he still lacks fulfillment and a sense of direction. It’s up to the other Wolfpack members to help him get through his personal problem by taking a road trip back to Las Vegas, where it all started.
Zach Galifianakis appears to be one of those actors that people either adore or loathe. I cherish him. In fact, I believe he has improved significantly as an actor, and The Hangover 3 is a prime example of that improvement. He plays a more substantial role in this film, and it’s difficult to imagine this odd Hollywood type not having a successful long Hollywood career given how well he can play the man-child routine and pull off both comedy and sincerity.
The only real sin the movie had other than being produced, was the fact that it lacked its comedy and tried to be a more action-packed. Almost everything you anticipate happening in The Hangover 3 doesn’t, with the exception of the events hinted at in the movie’s “give it away” trailer. Yes, the best parts of the movie are, in fact, revealed in the trailer.
This is not to say that the movie is a total waste of time; it is not. In truth, there are a some situations that will make you laugh out loud and a few effective action scenes. The movie does a poorer job of shining a new light on well-known characters, most notably Heather Graham’s wasted performance as Jade, whose presence seems to exist just for Bradley Cooper’s Phil to wax snarky.
All in all, “The Hangover Part III” does everything one would expect when a series hits its third go-around… It tanks. And to quote Bowling For Soup, it’s “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve”.
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