"The Hangover: Part II" 3/5 Pitchforks Staring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms Rated: R May 26, 2011
Many of us know the feeling. The heavy-headed aftermath sensation of a night ill-spent, the feeling that there is a bass drum pedal wrapped in barbed wire attempting to pound its way out from within our chemically altered brain. As we recover, we are reminded of the sequence of events that have left us in such pain and extreme misery.
They say that the hair of the dog that bit you will cure all your ails, but those who know from experience know that’s not always the case, nor is it the best option. Sometimes you just have to grin and bare it. Looking to share their life-lessons in the hopes of providing – yet again – a teachable moment for us all, the self-declared Wolfpack returns to theaters Thursday in “The Hangover Part II.”
Picking up relatively where they left off, the gang heads out to Thailand for Stu’s big day. Even with all of their attempts to avoid even the smallest manifestations of misconduct, boys will be boys – and in Thailand, that’s no place to be.
Whatever happened in Vegas; certainly did not stay in Vegas for too long. As Stu eventually realizes – after waking in a bathtub with no pants on, having been freshly engraved with a facial tattoo and spending an entire day wandering through the bowels of downtown Bangkok – there is a demon inside him, one with no signs of letting up any time soon either.
They are once again left to piece together the events from the night before with nothing more than whatever clues they can muster from their own pockets, cell phones and deep-meditation.
For those expecting more of the same, “The Hangover Part II” more than delivers; however, if you thought that maybe – just maybe some slight deviation from the previous plot would present itself, think again. Director Todd Phillips, who also corralled the first, did very little in the way of mixing things up. To be fair, he does throw in one cool monkey wearing an even cooler vest.
There are of course a few cameos (other than the monkey) worth the price of admission too. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, Mel Gibson lost his chance to undoubtedly strike cinematic gold as the hot hand tattoo artist who tagged Stu’s face, and for those who always want more Heather Graham (like myself), sorry, no luck there either.
Given the extreme turnaround between both films, one has to wonder if a possible third could be on the horizon. Granted, no one is left to tie the knot … except for Alan, which could be the best bachelor party to witness from the safety and luxury of a movie theatre.
Reach the reporter at jbfortne@asu.edu
