Review - The Hangover 2

It Happened Again


The wolfpack is back and this time they are headed for Thailand. Sure there have been some minor changes since the group was together in Las Vegas. This time, Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married, again, but it is too a woman he really cares about.


Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are coming along and what would the trip be unless Alan (Zach Galifianakis) could find a way to be part of things. Now it’s a seemingly harmless night out on the beach with a couple of friends and a couple of beers that will lead to another “lost” evening.


Waking up in a Thai hotel is a little different that in a Las Vegas suite. They are there with a couple problems. When they wake they have not only lost Doug this time, but they have also lost Stu’s future son in law, Teddy.


Now they will have to once again, retrace their steps. This time they will find Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), a gangster (Paul Giamatti) and a monkey as part of their pre-wedding wild night. Oh, and there are strippers, a gun runner and a monk that all had a part in their night that everyone can’t remember.


Now will Stu be able to hold his head high while he marries the woman of his dreams or did things go so crazy that he has lost her forever.


The number one question I’m always asked with sequels is, “Can I see it without having seen the first film?” With The Hangover 2, the answer is yes. In fact if you’ve seen the first film, you’ve seen this one.


The Hangover 2 doesn’t go far beyond what worked the first time around. There is really no expansion of the characters. There are no wildly different storylines. There are just lots of laughs. And that’s ok. I don’t believe anyone is going to go to this film expecting these characters to be anything different than what they were in the first film. Though that is true, it would have been nice to see a couple more diversions along the way instead of rehashing the same plot. This is literally the first film redone.


One last thing that didn’t change about the film, it STILL makes you laugh. In a market that is always a bit hit or miss, The Hangover 2 remains a hit with the laughs. Raunchy as ever, and full of craziness they weren’t lying when they say “It happened again.”


B


The Hangover 2
Warner Brothers Pictures


Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong


Rating: R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images.
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes