One of the hardest things for sequels and remakes of popular movie franchises to do is live up to the original. Part of the difficulty is not relying too much on old gags that worked the first time, but also not trying to alienate the original audience by ignoring the original magic. With regards to The Hangover franchise, it’s a delicate balance that was missed in Part II, which was a regurgitation of the first movie, just in a new country. As for Part III, the Wolfpack makes a better showing, though some of the gags are simply stale after seeing them for the third time.
If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve seen a lot of the comedy. There are still chances for laughs in this movie, but that’s not necessarily the focus of writer/director Todd Phillips and co-writer Craig Mazin. While the first two films in the trilogy focused on the hilarious circumstances of the characters’ black outs and the shock value of the stunts they pulled, this movie tends toward trying to pull out more emotions and action amongst the easy laughs.
The Hangover Part III’s premise revolves around the fact that Zach Galifianakis’ man-child character, Alan, has gone off the rails and not taken his medications in six months. His family and friends, including Bradley Cooper’s Phil, Ed Helms’ Stu, and Justin Bartha’s Doug, stage an intervention to get him to a facility in Arizona. After some prodding, Alan agrees and the Wolfpack sets off into the desert for another adventure.
Along their trek, their minivan gets run off the road by masked men who work for Marshall, played by John Goodman, other Doug’s (Mike Epps) boss from the first film. As it turns out, the guys’ actions in Las Vegas four years ago, specifically those relating to gangster Mr. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), set off a chain of events that have culminated with Chow recently escaping from a Bangkok prison, which we see in the prologue of the film. The Wolfpack’s task is to find Mr. Chow and bring him to Marshall or Doug (who is taken as collateral of course) will die.
The film then takes some twisty, winding turns through flashbacks, Mexico and yes, Las Vegas again. The locales are portrayed as darker, as is the whole film. With the return to Vegas comes the return of Stu’s first wife, Jade (played by Heather Graham) and her son Tyler a.k.a. Baby Carlos, played by Grant Holmquist, one of the original infant actors in the first movie.
This return sparks some real emotion from the characters, especially Alan, who is the main focus of this film’s journey. Another point of emotion and further step in the journey for Alan is the appearance of Melissa McCarthy’s character Cassie. She steals the scenes as Alan’s pawnshop running soul mate with an unfortunate hair-don’t.
Chow’s character provides much of the shock value for this film. His once silly, how-can-this-guy-be-a-real-gangster façade is removed and proven to be a real sociopath. He does purposefully awful and cruel things, without much of a reason. The character, along with Galifianakis’ Alan, are the lead stars in this movie, with Cooper and Helms’ Phil and Stu playing more of background and supporting roles.
The music, as done by Cristophe Beck, and cinematography, Lawrence Sher, of the film is on point, as usual. The opening prison riot during Chow’s escape is a perfect combination, showcasing the two.
As Helms’ character says of Las Vegas, “Someone should burn this place to the ground.” That’s what this movie does for the franchise. It’s not a party, but a parting of the ways. For all the debauchery and half-baked notions in the first two films, this film is about growing and growing apart, not only for the Wolfpack, but also the fans who have been along for the ride. If your expectations are low, and they should be after Part II, then you will most likely enjoy the film for what it is – the recovery from an epic Hangover.
The Hangover Part III is a Warner Bros. Pictures film, rated R for language and sexual references. The running time is 100 minutes.
