The Hangover Part II (2011) R

When word first got out about a sequel to the 2009 smash hit The Hangover was in the works I was quite excited to say the least. A sequel didn't seem necessary, but the first film was so original and hilarious from start to finish. Director Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip) has such a great comedic track record, that it seemed impossible for this film to be a dud. He managed to get the entire cast back, so how could things possibly go wrong? First off, the script that was written by Phillips (and a couple of yahoos I've never heard of) is repetitive and unfunny. If you haven't seen this film and plan on doing so, then please don't. Otherwise look away, because I'm not holding anything back and huge spoilers are on their way.

The Wolfpack is indeed back. Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (Cedar Rapids, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard) and Zach Galifianakis (Out Cold, Due Date) are all back for more of the same. Two years removed from their adventure in the desert, Stu (Helms) is now the one getting married. Her name is Lauren (Jamie Chung). She's a beautiful, Thai woman whose parents despise Stu. Phil (Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are ready to jet over to Thailand for the wedding when they're forced to tag along with the obnoxious Alan (Galifianakis). They all know it's a bad idea, but he's just so darn lovable.

Two nights before the wedding the two families get together for a dinner. It's a mildly funny scene (one of the few) thanks to a hilarious toast by Alan. That night Phil, Stu, Alan, Doug and Lauren's brother Teddy (Mason Lee) get together for a beer on the beach. They roast marshmallows and wish Stu all the best. I think you can guess what happens next.

The next morning Phil, Stu and Alan awake in a damp and disgusting hotel room in Bangkok. Alan's head has been shaved and Stu has a replica Mike Tyson tattoo on his face. At this point of the film there haven't been many laughs, but you'd think that the fun has only begun. They soon find their old friend Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) passed out on the floor. As well as an annoying little monkey that I guess is supposed to be cute or something. We get two whole minutes of the monkey biting on Chow's penis, which I guess was supposed to be funny. People literally walked out of the theater at this point, but really what did you expect folks?

The gangs first thought is that they lost Doug again, but he's safe and sound at the resort. The problem is that young Teddy happens to be missing. Not only is he missing, one of his fingers is found in the hotel room. Mr. Chow begins telling the boys about what happened the night before when he snorts a line of cocaine and falls over dead. So the boys are left with nothing but a few clues.

The Wolfpack now goes out on the town to find find Teddy. Bit by bit they put the pieces together, which only gets them into more trouble. They come across a strip club they visited the night before. The strippers just happen to be transgendered, and we get a long look at the breasts and the penises all coming together as one. Yummy! They visit a monastery and get beaten up by a monk. Phil get shot in the arm because they're accused of stealing the monkey. Blah, blah, blah...literally none of the jokes are hitting at this point and sedation begins to set in.

They end up getting mixed up with a mobster, played by Paul Giamatti (Cold Souls, Barney's Version). Giamatti is almost always terrific, but he is extremely miscast. The whole thing is merely a rip-off/remake of the original, just in another country. Now out of clues, Phil eventually calls Doug's wife Tracy (again...) to tell her they've lost Teddy when ALL OF A SUDDEN Stu realizes where he is. I just happened to guess where he was hiding long before the fact; it was so obvious.

They find Teddy (minus a finger), and head back to the resort. Lauren seems to not even notice Stu's facial tattoo or Teddy's missing finger. I'm simply put sick of talking about this film. It's annoying, disgusting, unfunny and it's all been done before. Cooper has zero funny lines, Galifianakis is really just hit and miss this time around, while Helms is quite funny as usual. Jeong (Role Models, Knocked Up) is way over-the-top, and Mike Tyson makes a strange and annoying cameo.

I don't know what else to say. At one point, Alan remembers the entire night in a flashback. Instead of using the actors in this flashback, Phillips decides to use 12-year-old kids. So we see little kids drinking and swearing and what have you. Not funny. The whole thing is an unfunny rehash of the first film. It starts the same (Tracy...it's Phil), ends the same (pictures during the credits) and a lot of the jokes are simply tweaked but they miss badly. This film almost ruins the original for me. Please DO NOT SEE THIS FILM! This is simply one of the worst comedies I've seen in recent memory. A third installment is on it's way. I'd rather get a real life hangover than watch another of these butchered sequels.
D+