The Hangover: Part II

Though it hardly seems possible, The Hangover: Part II actually fares worse than its consistently underwhelming predecessor – as the film, for the most part, comes off as a blatant retread that brings virtually nothing new to the table. The storyline follows Bradley Cooper’s Phil, Ed Helms’ Stu, and Zach Galifianakis’ Alan as they arrive in Thailand for Stu’s wedding to Lauren (Jamie Chung), with problems ensuing as the three characters wake up in Bangkok after a night of outrageous partying (which, of course, nobody can remember). It’s worth noting that The Hangover: Part II gets off to an unexpectedly entertaining start, as the movie is, at the outset, concerned with the easygoing exploits of the central characters – with the affable atmosphere heightened by the palpable chemistry between the three protagonists. It’s only as the film inevitably segues into its mystery-oriented midsection that it slowly-but-surely becomes a seriously dull piece of work, as there’s simply nothing interesting or intriguing about the gang’s ongoing investigation into what happened – with the tediousness of this stretch exacerbated by the unpleasant and downright seedy nature of the movie’s locale. (And this is to say nothing of the film’s total lack of laughs.) The end result is as needless a contemporary sequel as one can easily recall, and it’s ultimately difficult to envision even die-hard fans of the 2009 original walking away satisfied.

*1/2 out of ****