HANGOVER 2

A blowout Las Vegas bachelor party turns into a race against time when three hung-over groomsmen awaken after a night of drunken debauchery to find that the groom has gone missing, and attempt to get him to the alter in time for his wedding. In 48 hours, Doug is scheduled to walk down the aisle, effectively ending his reign as a rowdy bachelor. Realizing that this is their last blowout with their best friend, Doug's groomsmen organize a Sin City bachelor bash he'll never forget. The next morning, the groomsmen come to in their Caesar's Palace suite to find a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month-old baby tucked away in the closet. Unfortunately, Doug is nowhere to be found. With no memory of the previous night's transgressions and precious little time to spare, the trio sets out in a hazy attempt to retrace their steps and discover exactly where things went wrong. Will they find Doug in time to get him to the wedding back in Los Angeles, or will his bride experience the sharp sting of disappointment when she walks down the aisle to discover that her future husband is nowhere to be found? Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Heather Graham star in a rambunctious comedy from Old School director Todd Phillips. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi. 

Well we all know that this sequel was created simply because its predecessor was such a cash cow but we can all admit it was funny as hell and we also know exactly what to expect, the same elements smashed together and amplified, and that’s basically what we get. With The Hangover being a surprise hit and a refreshing new comedy, The Hangover 2 had a lot to live up to. Knowing that recapturing the fresh feel of The Hangover was near impossible the makers clearly decided to shock us this time around.

Initially, it takes a while to hit its stride, setting up the story for Stu’s wedding takes longer than expected but when the action does begin it’s a non stop roller coaster ride kicking up the last films antics up a notch. You see, what has happened is Stu has met the love of his life and they decide to marry in her homeland of Thailand, while Stu decides against a ‘traditional’ beer soaked bachelor party the lads have other ideas. 

The focus again being on the captivating trio of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) we are plunged into the mean streets of Bangkok. Doug (Justin Bartha) is sidelined into a minor role (he was most likely used as a device to justify the reason behind Alan being present at Stu‘s wedding) and Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) makes a welcome return as the irritatingly hilarious worldwide criminal. The dynamic of Phil, Stu and Alan is incredible and though it would be easy to dismiss this sequel it is difficult not to laugh out loud. The addition of the monkey is a stroke of genius in my opinion, I’m a sucker for comedic monkeys but this one took my expectations to a whole new level. The chain smoking, drug dealing and lets just say slightly perverted monkey adds to the absurdity of the movie.

It was never going to be the same as The Hangover but, hey, I laughed and so did everyone else, so they've done something right.