Yes.
“The Hangover Part III” is better than “The Hangover Part II”.
That really seems to be the only thing that truly matters so let’s just put that right up front so you can run off to the multiplexes and not waste any time. Go ahead. Go.
Now if you want to take a minute and discuss “why is it better?” then let’s continue. I think the easiest answer is simply that just about anything would be an improvement from the second film. As you probably well know, “Part II” was merely a carbon copy of the hilarious first installment. And what pissed people off is that “The Hangover” was such a huge success BECAUSE its premise was original. So director Todd Phillips took the template and merely repeated himself and thought he could get away with it by increasing the vulgarity. This was a major turnoff and the film was met with a huge negative reception BUT still managed to make nearly $600 million dollars worldwide. I call this a reluctant Blockbuster: a sequel that makes tons of cash but no one really likes (“Transformers 2,” “The Matrix 2,” “Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3”). It’s as if we go to these movies because we have to appease the Marketing Monster that Came from Hollywood.
This time the template is thankfully scraped and there is no wake up after a blackout night. No Mike Tyson. Although baby Carlos does show up again. This time, we just focus on what made “The Hangover” work, the characters. And by characters, I mean we focus on Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and the world is a better place. Alan has lost his father (Jeffery Tambor) and is off his medication. This puts the freakishly lovable man-child into a dark place. An intervention is needed so his reluctant friends are gathered to help. The word “friends” is used loosely. So Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha who again gets to make a cameo only to be swept out of the way as soon as possible) embark on a road trip with Alan to take him to a special facility for special people who need to not be out here amongst the rest of us.
The trip is quickly derailed as a gang of masked criminals abduct the crew, kidnap Doug (J) and force them to go find Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) who has recently escaped from a Bangkok prison. This leads the boys to such thrilling locals as the karaoke bars of Tijuana and (you guessed it) the throbbing strip of Las Vegas.
Letting “The Hangover Part II” get away from “The Structure” allows the film to be funny again. With the awkward déjà vu removed we get to focus on the interaction between the actors and there is some gold here. Cooper, who has found huge success in the few years following the original’s release in 2009, downplays the asshole aspects of Phil and this lightening of the character makes it feel like we are not watching the same guy. Ed Helms is a solid as ever and keeps up best with Galifianakis who is on fire for most of the film. Galifianakis is the catalyst and the reason to give this final film in the trilogy a shot.
Not all is perfect, of course, and the statement that this is better than the second can be quickly followed by saying it is not as good as the first. Some of the scenarios are so far-fetched that it’s easy to roll your eyes and the suspension of disbelief is pushed at times which took me out of the film. Some bits work better than others but I did laugh throughout. Ultimately, that is the best litmus test for a comedy, right? You will laugh. Goodbye Wolfpack. You will be missed.
Note: Stay around for a bit in the end for a mid-credit chunk of love.