The Hangover 2

"Bangkok has them now" claims the poster and I say it can keep them for all its worth. The sequel to the one of the biggest cinematic success stori... read more

"Bangkok has them now" claims the poster and I say it can keep them for all its worth. The sequel to the one of the biggest cinematic success stories of 2008 is nothing more than a complete recreation of the first movie albeit set now in dank, dirty & exotic Bangkok.

Stu (Ed Helms) is the one tying the knot this time around with Lauren (Jamie Chung) much to her father's disapproval. Inspite of Phil's (Bradley Cooper) attempts to persuade him to have a bachelor party; Stu remembering the events of Vegas refuses and invites the "wolf-pack" to simply attend the marriage instead. However a simple beach bonfire drinking session results with the trio waking up in the morning without any memory of what happened. Alan's (Zach Galifianakis) head has been shaved; Stu has a tattoo like Mike Tyson and Teddy (Mason Lee), Lauren's prodigy kid-brother is missing. To compound their troubles further they have no idea where they are the shit really hits the fan when they find Teddy's severed finger. Thus begins the journey to find out what happened the previous night leading to a cocaine-snorting Chow (Ken Jeong), a chain-smoking drug-dealing monkey, transvestites, monks, mobsters & other assorted weirdos. They have one day to find Teddy and get back in time for the wedding, sounds familiar?

I cant blame the makers for essentially recreating the first part in a different setting cause there is little you can do with the basic concept of "Dude what the hell happened last night" plot-wise. Where the movie disappoints is the quality of humour which strives to be simply gross at every given opportunity with all the kind of Neanderthal & juvenile jokes possible and to compound the problems further you can see every joke & plot twist coming at you from a mile away. I won't deny that I laughed at times (the scene in the monastery for instance) but few and far in between. The predictability of the situation kills much of the fun element which the first one had.

The exotic Thai locales are a sight to behold early on and towards the end but the moment the action shifts to Bangkok, the cinematography takes a turn for a gritty, dark look.

Zach Galifianakis is still the star of the show, with his quirky 'Alan'-isms but is getting stale pretty quickly with him having played almost the same role in every movie since the original. Bradley Cooper benefits from playing the hunk while Ed Helms is less than capable of carrying the movie on his shoulders alone. I can imagine someone like Steve Carell doing a far better job than he does. Justin Bartha inspite of not being at the receiving end doesn't get to part of the action.

'The Hangover Part 2' is a cash-cow and has no reason to exist other than the fact that the first one made a ton of money. If you absolutely loved the first one you might be only perhaps slightly disappointed with this one inspite of it being a total rerun of the original. The ribald humour is gets tiresome with its constant attempts to gross you out at every turn; either way most people are going to watch this movie and its going to make a mini-fortune which will essentially lead to 'The Hangover Part 3: Alans Wedding'...oohh!!! the thought makes me shudder.
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While the sequel was announced amid much ballyhoo, one thing remained clear. A sudden, sleeper hit, which threw largely unknown actors into the Hol... read more

While the sequel was announced amid much ballyhoo, one thing remained clear. A sudden, sleeper hit, which threw largely unknown actors into the Hollywood mainstream, can only limitedly extend itself if it has to prevent itself from contrived stretching. And thats perhaps the best way to define Hangover 2 a victim of the standards it had ambitiously set out for itself, now failing in mirroring its predecessor. Just like the previous weeks money-spinner, the languidly expedited Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

The landscapes exotic Thailand the venue for Stus wedding. The Asian miss hes chosen is sultry as Bradley Coopers Phil unabashedly comments, Shes got a great rack. Much against Stus (Ed Helms) persistence of skipping the bachelor bash (he compensates with a sophisticated brunch), the men persuade him for a clean only-beer night by the shore. Cut to the next day, Zack Galifianakis Alan wakes up his hair shaven, Stus inked in what resembles a Mike Tyson tattoo, Phil is in the bathtub, and a detached finger with an attached ring is the only lead for Teddy the brides kid brother (played by filmmaker Ang Lesss son Mason Lee). Theres also over-the-top Asian gangsta Mr. Chaow, parading semi-naked (the semi we dont want a peep of), casually sniffing powder.

Hey, wait a sec, this sounds uncannily familiar! Well, that screenwriters Scot Armstrong and Craig Mazin along with director Todd Phillips were remodelling an already sound project more than evolving it consequentially seems to have cleverly skipped from the razor sharp brain of some smart Warner executive.

So, they attach a drug-dealing, jacket-flaunting capuchin monkey. Stu realises he made love to a katoe prostitute. Phil gets shot in the arm by Thai mobsters. A monk gets obscenely beyond control, also getting drunk, yet managing to not break his regarded vow of silence. All of this in an impatient, frantic pace as one of them is yelling, I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN. And just on the basis of that dialogue, we are supposed to discount the makers for plainly re-hashing the old picture.

As for the characters which demarcated The Hangover, more than their progression, they drastically, and disturbingly so, devolve becoming caricatures of their own greatness, and once-held surprising spontaneity. This perhaps is the one major flaw of this sequel. Its like running on a treadmill, upping the pace, adding a dash of sadistic humour, and some far in-between one-liners, mainly stolen by Zacks Alan.

Phil gets shockingly insensitive and excessively carefree. Mouthing vulgarly penned lines, he resembles an out-of-job frustrated middle ager trying to make sense and have fun out of a boringly linear lifestyle fuelling the misadventures. His performance is not stellar, his screen-presence is. The notorious boyish charisma he once held is replaced by a nasty, murky faade.

Zacks Alan devolves further down as far as his societal mannerisms our concerned. From being plain stupid, he swoops further below to become amusingly obtuse of what his behaviour might cost. And he is tremendously impeccable with that indifferent, guiltless expression, and eccentric fashion. The sole saviour of this mammoth disappointment, director Todd Phillips doesnt compromise on him, giving ample screen footage.

Dough (Justin Bartha), for good is reduced to having breakfast by the pool and making some calls, best said unimportant. A Mel Gibson cameo was doing the rounds but theres no trace of him. Pity, that.

For all its hilarity fuming occasional laughter, and far-occasional guffaws, Hangover 2 in its shameless, conventional, commercial motif might still find plenty takers, as is evident by the box-office treasure it has nailed so far. And thats definitely pushing Warner Bros to get in a maddening hurry in finishing a trilogy.

So, folks - let the law of diminishing returns once again prove its fundamental.
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Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) & Doug (Justin Bartha) are best friends. Well Alan is Dougs brother in law and ... read more

Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) & Doug (Justin Bartha) are best friends. Well Alan is Dougs brother in law and hence invited for a bachelors night out. The four of them drink to their hearts content and the next thing they know, they are in a hotel room, totally messed up without an inkling of how they got there. And then they realize Doug, the groom is missing! Stu has lost a tooth and there is a baby in the room! Oh my God! Did I just tell you all this? That is The Hangover, I must have seen the wrong movie! Where is Part II?
That is the question that you should avoid asking when you go to see The Hangover Part II. Why, because more than a sequel, it is more like a remake!
Following Hollywoods age old formula of cashing in on a money making franchisee, till you milk it dry, Memorial Day Weekend had to start the summer season with exactly that.sequels. Kung Fu Panda 2
& The Hangover Part II.
So, do not go about expecting a great story line here. Keep it simple, stupid.
In the original, the groom went missing, so in Part II, the brides young brother, Teddy, (Mason Lee, son of Director Ang Lee, if you may) goes missing. It was Vegas there, it is Bangkok now. Well so from one sin city to another, keeping in tradition of the movie, our 3 heroes, Phil, Stu & Alan realize that they are missing 1 person and 1 night. So they begin their hunt, in search of Teddy and their night. Giving them company is Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), reprising his character from part 1.
The Hangover Part II is definitely not a bad film. It is complete, raunchy, adult entertainment. Exactly as the original was, but the only, and main, difference is, that in part 1, we did not know the reason for their loss of memory, what happened that night and how would they survive. Just like all superhero movie franchisees, in Part II, we know that whatever happens, they will survive. That is where I guess the audience feels a bit let down. There was nothing new to offer in terms of character development, or the story moving ahead. But hey, how do you develop a story about a hangover? The way I see it, Part II, made at double the budget of the original, will make good money for a Part III to be made. But this time we will be prepared, same guys, same night, different city!
Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Wedding Crashers) looks good as always. Carrying the film, primarily on his good looks, it is time now for him to venture more into films like Limitless, before he gets typecast.
Ed Helms (Evan Almighty, The Hangover) effortlessly lives the character of Stu, the hyperactive dentist with a tendency to walk the dark side. His explosive speech in the climax, defines that.
Zach (The Hangover, Due Date) undeniably tickles your funny bone the most. His bohemian lifestyle, Im a stay at home son, makes you feel bad and laugh at the same time.
Ken Jeong (Pineapple Express, The Hangover) as the effeminate gangster, adds new spice and is one of the most outrageous characters ever. Justin Bartha (National Treasure, Failure to Launch) doesnt have much to do in this part also, besides being the good guy.
Paul Giamatti (Barneys Version, The Illusionist) in his cameo is good, but rather a wasted talent. They surely could have used more of him in the film, would have only upped the comic levels. The much talked about cameo of the tattoo artist is finally played by actor / director Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off, director of The Notebook, My Sisters Keeper). The reason I mention this here is cos, this role was first offered to Mel Gibson, but was removed, after the cast took objection to it. Later Liam Neeson had shot the part, but due to some changes, he was unavailable for the reshoot and hence Nick stepped in.
Director Todd Phillips has another winner at his hands, but if he wants to continue this franchisee, he sure will have to come up with more innovative ideas, than just a tattoo here or a shave there.
All in all, for first timers, who have not seen the original, they will enjoy it. For people who are fans of the first part, just sit back, relax and enjoy the part one .this time in Bangkok.
Does it have The Y Factor:Yes
Rating:7/10
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What do you do when you already have a hit film which has broken many records? You make a sequel. But the trick is to make it bigger, better and mo... read more

What do you do when you already have a hit film which has broken many records? You make a sequel. But the trick is to make it bigger, better and more banging. This is exactly what Hangover Part II attempts, and manages competently. It still suffers from the sequel hangover, which many part twos and threes do.

Director Todd Philips reprises the original with the same cast. And what a cast? Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper go on another bachelors and this time in saucy Bangkok. We even have Mr. Chow, Mike Tyson and an animal (a monkey replacing the tiger) thrown in for good measure. But instead of losing the groom (Stu) they manage to misplace the brides 16 year old brother. They still lose their memory of the night before and go through the rigmarole of tracing their steps back.

The screenplay borders on the tried and tested retarded-ness of the previous film, sometimes using pure crudity than character driven humor which was a hallmark of the original. Maybe it was a safe bet. But the actors really up the notch. Zack G and Ed Helms are absolutely brilliant. Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) brings his usual zaniness to the film. Bradley Cooper remains under-utilized and given his recently acquired A-lister status, it was good on him to be part of this franchise which brought him international fame.

The cinematography, editing and direction aptly support the cast. Do watch it because it is the kind of film where a houseful of laughter really enhances the experience. But it will not be like the original which broke the record by having 60 million DVD rentals worldwide. I m going with three stars just because the original deserved four.
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A sequel isn't really a sequel if you do the exact same thing as the first movie but at a different location. Just garbage.