Sometimes, a sequel is so bad, it retroactively hurts one’s enjoyment of the original film. The Hangover Part III would qualify as one of those sequels. Interestingly enough, this movie isn’t even really a ‘comedy’ per se, as I don’t think it was actually made to elicit laughs. But the obvious question after that is “Why was it even made at all?” MONEY. You would think that Todd Phillips and friends would have at least tried to give people their money’s worth in this third installment in the formerly hilarious series. But instead, all he conjures up are a few tired jokes separated from each other by long, drawn-out sequences of bludgeoning stupidity and violence. The damage it wreaks on your brain is irreparable.
The Hangover Part III reunites Phil, Stu, Allen, and Doug in one last (hopefully) misadventure, peppered with crude humor, ridiculously tasteless scenes, and full-out insanity. Unfortunately, none of it works like it did in the first film. The original Hangover was famous for blending classic R-rated comedy with real heart and splendid performances. However, this seems to be a lost concept for both the first sequel and this one, as they delve into a mean-spirited and unfunny realm of bad humor and even worse plotting. What makes me mad is that this movie easily could have been a lot better, and could have concluded the Hangover trilogy in spectacular fashion. But no.
The usual formula is shaken up pretty well here, but that’s all I can really say that’s good about it. Part three begins when Allen (Zach Galifianakis) buys a giraffe and accidentally decapitates it on the highway when its head hits an overpass. Apparently, this is supposed to be funny, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the movie. Allen’s dad then dies of a heart attack when he confronts his idiot son. Phil, Stu, and Doug then stage an intervention for Allen to try and get him into rehab, or back on his meds, or SOMETHING to stop him from being such an incorrigible moron. This premise is pretty stupid, but I give Phillips credit for at least trying to steer the franchise away from its formula. Then again, all he really achieves is a Hangover movie without the hangover.
On their way to a rehab center, the wolf pack is run off the road by John Goodman (whose considerable talent is wasted here), who plays a crime lord in the Southwest. Apparently, Leslie Chow, the stereotypical Asian criminal mastermind from the first two movies, has stolen millions of dollars in gold from Goodman, and he wants the wolf pack to get it back. Goodman takes Doug hostage, which is lame, as Justin Bartha is once again taken out of the equation. One of these days, we should have a Hangover movie where Bartha actually gets to display his talent. But it’s not like they’re going to shake it up THAT much. So we’re left with a movie featuring Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Galifianakis dicking around in Tijuana and Las Vegas.
It’s intermittently entertaining, but this movie pales in comparison to what it could have been. And throughout it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t even a comedy. It’s not like the jokes fell flat or something. It’s just that there WERE no jokes. Which is surprising for a movie billed as a ‘comedy.’ It’s really a fascinating turn of events, and I can’t rightly say what the filmmakers were trying to do here (besides the obvious cash grab). It was just a weird action-crime movie that had a damn good premise... but for some reason was turned into a Hangover sequel. Which made absolutely no sense.
Not only is this movie bad, it’s unusually dark for a Hangover film, let alone a comedy in general. It has an overly serious tone, a lot of questionable material, and far too many violent scenes to be really called a ‘comedy.’ I think it was trying to be clever in a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang kind of way, and it easily could have been, but it just didn’t have enough jokes in it to really be an actual comedy. Even Galifianakis’s character, who used to be a lovable goofball but still a nice guy, morphs into a rude and obnoxious person. It’s unsettling and disappointing.
Final Score for The Hangover Part III: 2/10 stars. I’m happy to see that they changed the formula up a bit, but that’s just about the only ounce of redeeming value in this pointless, derivative, and unexpectedly cruel comedy. All of the actors seem bored and worn-out with what they’re doing, especially Bartha, who barely has a speaking role and seems to just be going through the motions, disappointed that he yet again doesn’t get to play a big part. This is a bland and exhausting movie that will please only die-hard Hangover fans. But if you are uninitiated with the franchise, or the first failed to impress you, stay away from this.
No comments:
Post a Comment