Review: The Hangover Part II

I really wanted to love The Hangover Part II. Its predecessor left me laughing for days. The trio of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis was lightning in a bottle, and the over-the-top script pushed the limits in the name of harmless fun. I'm not a pessimist who expects to hate every sequel, and I was really looking forward to this second outing, also directed by Todd Phillips.

I didn't believe early reports that it was simply a rehash of the original script, though it would seem so at first. Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis again wake up and trace the events of a drug-fueled night of partying, and have to complete a mission in time to return for a wedding. Again, the jokes are outrageous, and The Hangover Part II is good for a few laughs, but that's where the similarity ends.

My first complaint is that it takes 30 minutes to muddle through the setup at the beginning of the movie. There's a scene at Stu's (Helms) office, another at the Garner mansion, a banquet in Thailand, and so on. It really takes a while to get moving as compared to the snappy script of The Hangover.

Second problem regards the fourth companion, Justin Bartha as Doug. Doug spent the entirety of the first movie missing (and it was his wedding they had to get to). I had hoped in The Hangover Part II, we would see more of him and it would bring a new dynamic that would allow Bartha to show off his comedic chops. Instead, though Doug gets more screen time, he is stuck back at the hotel while the rest of the "wolf pack" parties without him. Taking his place as the missing man and object of the search is Mason Lee as Stu's soon-to-be brother-in-law, Teddy.

Third problem I had was that the dynamic here is changed. Cooper is no longer really leading the group and feels like he's just along for the ride. He's underused, and isn't really the focus of any of the gags, which are held almost exclusively for Helms. It felt almost like he has grown to be too big a star and was doing his pals a favor being in their little movie.

Finally, the biggest reason The Hangover Part II didn't work for me was that it went to a very dark place. There was an underlying tone that begins as soon as Galifianakis hits the screen as Alan. Instead of just a funny, weird misfit, this time he's a complete jackass in everything he does. The character is no longer likable, and moments that should be funny are cringe-inducing. Many times, although I laughed at a gag, it was more an uncomfortable laugh that I quickly silenced. In the efforts fro director/co-writer Phillips and writers Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong to keep pushing the limits this time, they managed to cross a few lines that I found actually offensive (I must leave specifics up to the imagination for those who haven't yet seen it).

What did work? The monkey, absolutely. There's no Oscar for animal training in film, or best animal performance, but the work here proves there ought to be. The best gags all involved the monkey. Ken Jeong (Mr. Chow) is brilliant in every frame. He brings back the spirit of the original movie at the bleakest moments. Jeong attacks the material with a careless glee, releasing tension that is built up far too high for a comedy like this. He's a life preserver on a sinking ship.

Is The Hangover Part II worth going to see? Definitely not if you didn't like the first one. It takes extreme comedy and cranks it up to 11. But, if you have a thick skin and enjoy a good shock treatment, especially if you loved The Hangover, it's worth your time. For once, I'm on the more negative end of the scale. Most of the people who saw it with me really loved it.