The Hangover Part III

Ever seen Caddyshack II? Maybe not (I haven’t either), but you might have heard about its legacy. It’s basically the go-to title when talking about classic comedy films that are followed up by an awful sequel viewers wish to forget (it’s far from the only such sequel out there, but it’s the one a lot of people point to for some reason). The Hangover suffered from this syndrome, as the hysterical first film was followed by a sequel that was just a rehash of its predecessor without the laughs. But  in this case, that wasn't enough to avoid Part III.

To the film’s credit, rather than just playing out the exact same amnesiac, piece-together-events premise in a different location like Part II, the story at least changes things up. Two years after their trip to Thailand, the so-called “Wolfpack" consisting of dentist Stu (Ed Helms), playboy Phil (Bradley Cooper), and the socially inept Alan (Zach Galifianakis) are ambushed while taking Alan to a psychiatric facility in Arizona. Their friend Doug (Justin Bartha), the M.I.A. groom from the first film, is kidnapped by crime boss Marshall (John Goodman), who gives the others three days to find the flamboyantly psychotic Chinese gangster and their sometimes-companion Chow (Ken Jeong), who apparently stole millions in gold. Their journey takes them to Tijuana and back to Vegas, where the events of the first film went down.

Despite this ridiculous story, and everything else the picture has going against it, it surprisingly almost works. The film plays like a z-grade caper film much of the time, but seeing these comedic characters clumsily wade through drama and thriller waters is rather amusing, at least for a little bit. There are also some truly funny parts, which puts it well above Part II. Unfortunately, some of the better gags were already given away in the trailers, or at least set up for a raunchier onscreen version (such as the already-revealed giraffe scene, which is admittedly very funny in its R-rated glory). Of the jokes that weren’t given away, some are funny, but at least as many  just seem to be straining to be as vulgar, profane, or random as possible to elicit a reaction, any reaction, from the audience, and the results are more misses than hits.

The jokes alone had me on the fence, but what really pushes the film in the wrong direction is the fact that the main cast just doesn’t have the same enthusiasm. The first Hangover was the breakout film for Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis, and they played off each others' comedic strengths perfectly. Four years later, the three have moved on to bigger and better things (at least Cooper has), and all three look like they'd rather be doing something else. They just seem bored, exasperated, even hostile toward making yet another installment in this series. It’s like watching a sitcom reunion special where all the cast members really don’t want to be there.

The film also has too much of the supremely unfunny character Chow, and not just because Jeong appears full-frontal yet again in one scene (honestly, whoever thought this would make a good running joke should be blacklisted in Hollywood). Chow was funny enough in his few scenes in the first film, and even those were pushing it. His return in Part II was unnecessary, and he got less tolerable the more he appeared. This time, he’s integral to the plot, so we see him even more. Making him into a main character was a bad idea, as he’s just annoying and obnoxious and never funny. In a way, this hurts the film because the story concerns finding him, but it’s hard to root for the protagonists to do so because that means he gets more screen time. Meanwhile, the talented Goodman is wasted in a role that could have been filled by any extra yelling swear words and brandishing a gun sloppily.

Thankfully, there’s an aura of finality to the movie, so we can move on and let history judge the series. My prediction is that The Hangover will be regarded as one of the greatest comedies of this era. Part II will be forgotten because it’s so subpar, and because Caddyshack II already has the notoriety among bad comedy sequels. Part III isn’t so bad it’ll stand out in history, but it’s not funny enough to be remembered long after it leaves theaters.