Film: The Hangover Part III
Release Date: May 23
Studio: Green Hat Films, Legendary Pictures
Grade: D+
The third installment of The Hangover series does not do the first two films any justice.
Four years ago, a quartet of men traveled to Las Vegas for the bachelor party of a lifetime in The Hangover. After a night of partying, the three groomsmen Stu (Ed Helms, The Office), Phil (Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook) and dysfunctional Alan (Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign) woke up the next morning missing Doug (Justin Bartha, Dark Horse), the groom. The three were forced to backtrack through a drug haze of ridiculous misadventures from the night before.
The wild goose chase through Las Vegas started the franchise off with a successful crude comedy of tasteless humor.
Two years later, the 'Wolfpack' traveled to Thailand for yet another wedding but ended up losing Stu's future brother-in-law in the whirlwind of Bangkok. The sequel seemed a bit uninventive by following a similar plot line to the first film, but it still left audiences laughing and begging for another sequel.
Cut to present day, and the Wolfpack is back on the road again to take Alan to a mental facility after his father dies.
No more than five minutes go by in the car before a group of gangsters stops the Wolfpack. Doug is kidnapped, and lead gangster Marshall (John Goodman, Inside Llewyn Davis) forces the others to track down his nemesis Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong, Pain & Gain) to retrieve money that Chow has stolen from him.
By some cruel twist of fate, the group's bad behavior in Las Vegas four years ago comes back to bite them.
The Hangover Part III is simply disappointing. While there are no bachelor parties and no strategies left to shamelessly copy the original film's plotline, The Hangover Part III relies on the three remaining wolves to turn into criminals themselves in order to save Doug.
By far the worst mistake in the movie is having Mr. Chow as a central focus. The flamboyant criminal once again gets the boys into some serious trouble, but his on-screen time gets to be too much. If audience members can even stay awake throughout the film, his annoying, crass humor and terrible accent does nothing to help the film.
The always-unpredictable Alan becomes the leader of the pack, earning him much more screen time than in the other two films. Galifianakis captured hearts in the first film with his dirty beard and blank stare, but this time around, the same off-putting jokes are old, and no one seems to be laughing along anymore.
This almost-action movie does create excellent opportunities for dramatic music. Composer Christophe Beck (The Guilt Trip) creates a strong orchestral score, adding to the humor of the over-dramatic situations the Wolfpack finds themselves in this time around.
Surprise casting of new characters does save the film from an entirely terrible fate. Goodman as the main antagonist is a delightful addition to an otherwise exhausted cast. Goodman's previous supporting roles, such as the loving, sarcastic husband, Dan, in the television series Roseanne (1988-97) and the traumatized Vietnam veteran, Walter, in The Big Lebowski (1998), have earned him a likeable persona. Seeing him as a cutthroat gangster with a trigger-happy disposition is a real treat for fans.
Melissa McCarthy (Identity Thief) is another great addition to the cast. McCarthy plays Alan's mullet-rocking soulmate and is even able to break the awkward silence in the theatre for a few laughs. Imagine a woman as obnoxious and unorthodox as Alan, and you've got a match made in heaven.
Designer Louise Mingenbach (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) deserves the most kudos. Mingenbach has designed the costumes for all three films. Creating audacious outfits for Mr. Chow's sensational personality is no easy feat. And finding those ridiculous but perfect t-shirts for Alan? An Oscar may be on the horizon for Mingenbach.
The Hangover Part III is undoubtedly a disappointment to the franchise, but audience members should stick around for a hilarious ending credits scene, which is unfortunately the funniest scene in the entire film.
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