The Hangover Part III

 

It would seem that director and co-writer, Todd Phillips, took to heart the main criticism audiences had with the last Hangover movie - That it was essentially the same movie as the first, only with a different locale and fewer laughs.  And so, with The Hangover Part III, we get a new premise, some new characters, and a story that nicely wraps up the comedy franchise.  So, at least it's not another rehash.  Unfortunately, he didn't see it fit to fix the "fewer laughs" problem, so we still have a movie that ultimately disappoints compared to the original.

Of course, The Hangover cannot really be replicated.  That 2009 film was a true lightning in a bottle comedy that exploded beyond anyone's expectations.  We know it can't be replicated, because 2011's The Hangover Part II tried, and failed.  So, what are we to make of the new direction this film takes?  It's a lot darker, more action-oriented, and doesn't even try to follow the formula of the first two, with its three heroes blacking out after a night of partying, and then trying to piece together the clues of what happened the night before.  Speaking of our heroes, this movie essentially belongs to Alan, the scruffy-haired eternal man-child played once again by Zach Galifianakis.  He not only drives the plot, he's in pretty much all of the scenes.  His two friends from the earlier films, Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) are essentially in supporting roles here.  Given how Cooper's career has taken off the past few months, he probably viewed this as a contractual obligation more than anything.

The plot kicks off with Alan having just made an impulse buy of picking up a pet giraffe.  After an ill-fated ride down the highway, which results in said giraffe getting decapitated and a massive multiple-car pile up accident, Alan is flung into the center of a media storm, with his long-suffering father (Jeffrey Tambor) at the end of his rope - so much so that the poor guy dies from a heart attack brought on by the stress Alan has added to his life.  At the funeral,  Alan is reunited with Phil and Stu, who witness his erratic behavior first hand, and learn that he's been off his medication for the past six months.  A family intervention is staged for Alan, and Phil and Stu are charged with the task of delivering the guy to a treatment center in Arizona, so he can get help with his emotional issues.  Alan's brother-in-law, Doug (Justin Bartha) comes along, too.  If you've seen the earlier films, you'll know that Doug usually doesn't play a large role in this series.  The trend does not change here.

On their way to Arizona, the four friends are suddenly attacked by another car carrying some hired goons who work for a crime kingpin named Marshall (John Goodman).  It seems that Marshall has had some bars of gold stolen from him by the psychotic Chinese criminal, Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who not only returns in this movie, but has almost as big of a part as the main characters do this time around.  This is a miscalculation on the part of the filmmakers.  The character of Mr. Chow works better in small doses.  When he assumes a leading role, the one-note trait of the character is almost impossible to ignore, as is the one-note performance by Jeong.  Marshall has learned of Alan's history with Mr. Chow, and wants him to track him down and get back the gold he stole.  For leverage, he takes Doug hostage, essentially writing that character out of most of the movie, allowing Alan, Phil, and Stu to race around places like Mexico and Las Vegas in their search.

I'll be frank, I did not walk into The Hangover Part III in the best of spirits.  The last sequel was completely unnecessary, and while this one is equally so, I must admit despite its obvious faults, I liked this one a little more.  I appreciated the new angle the story takes, as well as the way that the screenplay pretty much ties up every loose end, as well as brings back some surprise cameos from the first movie.  Even if I wasn't laughing that much, the movie held my interest.  There are some well-executed stunts and action sequences here, such as when Phil is forced to repel down the outside wall of Caesar's Palace casino, or when Mr. Chow takes an impromptu parachute flight over the sights of Las Vegas.  At times, it almost seems like Todd Phillips thinks he is making a flat-out action movie, rather than a comedy.

I wonder how the fanbase will react to this.  Yes, there are certainly laughs to be had, but they don't fly as hard or as fast as before.  If anything, this movie seems a little bit more sentimental and sadder, as part of it deals with Alan finally having to face the fact that he's going to have to grow up, and start living life as an adult.  At the very least, the movie doesn't go into all-out sentimentality, like this year's earlier release, Identity Thief, which started out as a raunchy comedy, then turned into a sappy little thing.  Speaking of that film, its star, Melissa McCarthy, has a funny turn here as a pawn shop dealer who strikes up a potential relationship with Alan.  The movie could have used more of her character.

 

I do hope that this is the last Hangover film as promised by the ad campaign, as I can't imagine this premise being successfully strung out much longer.  Of course, should the movie score at the box office, there is a scene during the end credits which does hint at a possible fourth entry.  It's worth sitting through part of the credits for, as it's funnier than anything in the actual movie itself.  Not funny enough to make me wish for a fourth movie, but a strong note to end the movie on.

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