Film Review - The Hangover 2 (2011)

So the Wolfpack is back, and they've gotten messed up- again. But is it as good this time around?

The Hangover has got to be one of the funniest- if not the funniest- comedy films I have ever seen, not to mention somewhat original. And, particularly as I'm a bit of a sequelophobe (yeah I just made that up), I was somewhat apprehensive when I heard that a sequel to this comedy gem was coming out. Incredulous, I asked myself, "How can they pull this off? How can they take the same three guys, get them well and truly mashed in a strange place... all over again?"

Well, they managed it, and while it's not as good as the first one, it's still awesome fun, and it has my blessing.

This time around it's the awkward, previously-under-the-thumb dentist "Dr." Stu Price (Ed Helms) tying the knot, with the ceremony being held abroad in a picturesque area of Thailand. As expected, wise guy Phil (Bradley Cooper) and token weirdo Alan (Zach Galifianiakis) are invited along to complete the troublesome trifecta, with the groom from the first film, Doug (Justin Bartha), also tagging along to make periodic appearances. In short, Stu hopes for a light bachelor brunch, and instead ends up getting wasted along with cohorts Phil and Alan, before waking up in a slum in Bangkok.

Now, Las Vegas is an obvious candidate for a film about a bachelor-party-gone-wrong, but when I heard that The Hangover 2 would be set in Thailand, I cringed a little, just knowing the kind dubious things Thailand is infamous for, and the smutty antics that the guys would inevitably get tied up in. My view is, they knew they couldn't try to reinvent the concept or better the first film, so they simply turned up the shock value on the humour.
Now luckily I am quite tolerant of shock humour, because The Hangover 2 definitely has a fair bit of it- and it is still very funny. However, no matter what, I am not a fan of [SPOILERS] seeing a Thai ladyboy up close an personal on the big screen- or any screen at all for that matter- and that's all I'll say about that one. I'll leave you to figure that out. [/SPOILERS] In general, the film adopts a darker sense of humour and a darker tone, but is still funny, and I was still hooked, wanting to know how it would all end.
The acting is as good as can be expected in this kind of a film. I am a fan of Bradley Cooper thus far and he plays his sarcastic smart-Alec role very well. Plus, if you're having trouble convincing your girlfriend or any female acquaintance to watch either of The Hangover films with you, just tell 'em that Bradley Cooper is in it. They can spend the ninety minutes drooling over him. Stu is still Stu from the first film, freaking out whenever anything goes wrong and coming out with some golden lines in his moments of insanity, and Alan is still funny, although his oddball charm and quirky quips are not as affective as in the first film- again, we've seen it before. Ken Jeong features again in this film as the whacky Korean criminal Mr. Chow, and has somewhat of a more prominent role. You can take him or leave him really, as he is either plain funny, or falls flat on his face in his attempts to achieve such an effect. That's not really anything to do with the character, but the actor. Sorry Ken.

The Hangover was somewhat of a eureka moment- a comedic masterstroke translated brilliantly to the silver screen and cementing its place in history as one of the most unique and hilarious films ever. So it's no surprise that The Hangover 2 struggles to capture the same unique quality as the first, and simply isn't quite as good. However, it is still a very funny film, does not outstay its welcome, and is definitely worth a watch, particularly if you loved the first one and are itching for another Hangover fix.