I had high hopes for The Hangover Part III. No re-used plotline, the trailer highlighted some very funny bits, and the reunion of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis as “the Wolfpack” was irresistible. However, disappointment was imminent, as I watched the worst Hangover movie of the trilogy, and perhaps the worst movie of the summer.
Perhaps I should preface my reactions with my thoughts on the first two Hangover films. Although raunchy and outrageous, I absolutely loved The Hangover. Each turn of the story, every joke, every punchline delivered by Galifianakis was new and strange and downright hilarious. Going all out crazy was what made The Hangover…well, The Hangover. In The Hangover Part II it was clear that the original plot of the first film had been recycled, and although it wasn’t nearly as good as the first, it wasn’t terrible. However, at the very least Part II held some belly laughs and jaw-dropping moments. Do not expect any of this for the last of the trilogy.
The Hangover Part III catches up with Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms), Doug (Justin Bartha), and Alan (Galifianakis) as Alan’s excessive and self-centered lifestyle takes its toll in a major way – causing the Wolfpack and extended family to stage an intervention for Alan. Alan begrudgingly agrees to be driven by the Wolfpack to a rehabilitation clinic in Arizona, when they are hijacked by Marshall (John Goodman) who commands them to help recover million of dollars that Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) stole from him. Poor Doug is once again taken as hostage, leaving me to wonder what Justin Bartha gets out of any of these films – perhaps it’s just contractual obligation, but his character was nothing but superfluous. Any how, what ensues is the most boring man-hunt (if you could call it that) I’ve ever seen.
Perhaps the most interesting part of The Hangover Part III were the cameos of people long gone from the second film or completely fresh faced (most notably Melissa McCarthy), but even these contributed nothing to the plot. The hunt for Chow and effort to save Doug was long and drawn out, and the ending seemed abrupt and anticlimactic. What was the most disappointing was a brief snippet in the midst of the credits harking back to ye olde days of The Hangover – it was an incredibly bittersweet moment as I laughed harder than I had for the whole movie, realizing the potential chemistry of the Wolfpack had gone unused.
What a waste.
