The Hangover Part II (Todd Phillips, 2011) Review

The Hangover proved to be a popular film but I'm actually shocked as to how long it took for a sequel to come out. Hollywood clearly was trying to restrain itself but, alas, it failed...twice by the looks of things (and here's hoping that it's ONLY twice). Now, a sequel can go either way (I used to say it could only be worse but...I am so wrong) so which way does the Hangover franchise seem to be going? Let's find out!

Now it's Stu (Ed Helms) that is getting married! In Bangkok too. Stu invites Doug (Justin Bartha) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) but is reluctant to bring Alan (Zach Galifianakis) due to what happened last time. After caving in, the wolf pack head to Bangkok. The gang plan spend a night out drinking beer and roasting marshmallows by a beach fire along with Stu's fiance's brother, Teddy (Mason Lee). Stu, Phil and Alan wake up the next morning in a seedy apartment with Teddy and Doug missing and with no memory of the previous night which they apparently spent with Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong). Once again, it's time to unravel the mystery and get to Stu's wedding on time. 

To be blunt, this is just a rehash of the first one but in Bangkok. This means that it ends up being predictable, except for minor twists, and samey. It also seems to lack in the humour department. I'm not saying that there's no humour, because there is, but it sort of misses the point of the first film. It relies much more on gross out humour which is NEVER A GOOD THING....EVER! There are also moments you can actually here a joke die. I remember one that had some good build up that ended with "...whatever". NEVER DO THAT!

The actors are still great in this film since most of them return from the first one and the new ones add to this. Paul Giamatti is a good addition to the franchise that I wish there was more of in the film and Stu's fiance's family is also enjoyable...if only they were in it longer (well, Teddy is a plot device but...that's about it). Thee are some good and serious moments (and we get another one of Stu's songs...there's a reason the best song in The Lorax is sung by Ed Helms).

The Hangover Part II is a weaker film than the first that relies more on gross out humour which, as previously stated, is NEVER A GOOD THING...EVER! The purpose of the film isn't done perfectly but the minor things such as acting and casting among other things. It is cool to see what other scenarios the writers can come up with but when it's a rehash, it's not exactly going to feel new. Let's hope the third film does a much better job of, oh I don't know, something else!

Verdict:
6/10
A rehash of the first that relies too much on gross out humour but has some good points that make sure it wasn't a complete failure (and keeping it away from a 5.5....just barely).