The Hangover Part III (2013) Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis. IMDB says: “This time, there’s no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
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“Don’t worry, it all ends tonight…”
The Hangover Part 3 comes full circle in location, story, character, and matures along the way; kinda. Okay, not really. There are still plenty of sight gags, crude humor, and cringe inducing awkwardness to satisfy all appetites. The best part? It is NOTHING like the other Hangover films. The stakes are different and there is no mystery to solve this time. Everything is laid out right in front of you, minus a twist or two. Combining small details from previous films and rewarding flashbacks, writers Todd Phillips (also the films director. Can you spot his cameo?) Craig Mazin, Jon Lucas, and Scott Moore craft not only a fantastic subplot of a thread that connects the films together, but they do it while introducing new characters and reintroducing old characters; all within the first twenty minutes!
The Hangover Part 3 is really, the story of Alan. He’s been off his meds for a few months and his father passes away, causing the gang to set up an intervention. Alan agrees to go and seek help at a center in Arizona on the condition that Stu (Ed Helms) Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) take him there. During the two-day trek, the Wolfpack is ambushed and taken hostage by Marshall (a very angry but teriffic John Goodman). What does he want? Mr. Chow (Senor Chang). And who better to find him then the Wolfpack. Marshall keeps Doug as an insurance policy (surprise) and leaves the crew to track down Chow. Trust me, that is spoiling nothing. Speaking of surprises, the trailers for the film, have only shown you the “where” and “who”, but not really the what, when, why, and how, which is great because the less you know, the more surprised you’ll be. While the trailer does give away some of the “big” jokes, there’s still plenty littered throughout the film, including running gags and a scene that comes after the credits you will NOT want to miss. Seriously.
I had no complaints about the film when I left the theatres. It did everything I wanted it to: be funny, don’t do the same things again, and bring it full circle. It accomplished that and then some. As far as major changes go, there are no weddings, no bachelor parties, and no Mike Tyson! But the chance Philips and company took with going the direction they did paid off. Whereas the first two films could be considered Comedy/Drama/Mystery, Hangover 3 is nothing but Action and Comedy. Because of the new dynamic, the film flies. They jump from one scene to the next giving you the information you need and not lingering around or overplaying a joke. Does the film have plot holes? What film doesn’t? Hangover 3 has similar problems that Hangover 1 and 2 had in regards to time frame, but I felt this film did a great job of wrapping not only itself up, but the Trilogy as well. The music in the film is great with songs from Danzig, Billy Joel, Drake, Hanson (yeah, you read that right), and a couple others that do a fantastic job at setting the tone.
If you enjoyed the first two, you will love this film. Plain and simple. If you didn’t like the Hangover films, you might be surprised by this film and might even give the other two a second chance. Go see Hangover 3 in theatres this weekend! Seriously, what else are you going to do? It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the weather is going to be gorgeous, appliances and cars will be on sail and your family might get together for a cook out. Sounds pretty lame to me. Celebrate Memorial Day the hilarious way and see The Hangover Part 3 in theatres.
