The Hangover Part III review

THE HANGOVER PART III:

THIRD TIME IS NOT THE CHARM! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

(From left to right) Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms as Phil, Alan, and Stu in The Hangover Part III

            Don’t get me wrong, I love The Hangover, the hilarious 2009 comedy about three friends who get wasted in Vegas, cause trouble, and can’t remember a thing. Not only was it funny and stupid, it was also very clever and original.

The sequel from 2011, The Hangover Part II, while still funny, it was basically the first movie told all over again but in Bangkok, Ed Helms gets a tattoo on his face instead of losing a tooth, and there’s a drug selling monkey instead of a baby. It wasn’t terrible but I certainly don’t find it nearly as enjoyable or unforgettable as the first movie.

Now director, Todd Phillips (Project X, Old School, Due Date) has released a third Hangover movie, still with the same cast from the previous two films (Thank God!) and some new scenarios Alan, Phil, and Stu get into. While more original than the second movie, it still doesn’t live up to the first Hangover, once again; it’s not terrible but kind of underwhelming.

After the events of Hangover Part II we find Alan (Zach Galifianakis-Due Date, Dinner for Schmucks, Puss in Boots) trying to grow up and stop being a “Man Child” with support from his friends, Phil (Bradley Cooper-Silver Linings Playbook, Limitless, The A-Team), Stu (Ed Helms-The Office, The Lorax), and Doug (Justin Bartha). That is until the Wolfpack is kidnapped by Marshall (John Goodman-Monsters Inc., The Big Lebowski, Speed Racer) and orders them to find their friend/enemy, Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) who stole all of Marshall’s gold, partying, and getting high in Vegas, otherwise he’ll kill Doug.

So you can expect all the madness that made The Hangover movies colossal box office hits, with a few surprises thrown in here and there. Like a comical yet gripping heist in the Caesar’s Palace hotel with Alan and Phil, driving with a giraffe in a truck, and Alan getting a love interest (played by the always funny, Melissa McCarthy-Bridesmaids, Identity Thief, The Heat).

            I personally thought The Hangover Part III was a little better than Part II with storytelling, however it ran short on laughs and jokes. But I guess I can’t bellyache too much, it is the third installment of a comedy trilogy, and luckily the final chapter. It would be pretty hard for me to sit through a Part IV after seeing this movie, again, not terrible and not one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, but it’s pretty underwhelming when you get down to it, besides where’s the clip show at the end? If you want to watch a hilariously clever comedy with an amusing cast of characters you probably won’t find it here, so watch the first Hangover again.