In no way a PSA for Alcoholics Anonymous, though maybe it should be, The Hangover Part II continues the 2009 grossed up and out antics of that sloppy drunk posse of lame party animals, when not an actual animal partying along for the ride. And in a second, significantly diluted followup bid with Part II, at turning lemons into booze-spiked lemonade.
Like mixing alcohol and say, matches, the impulsive when inebriated geeky guy bonding quartet reunites for yet another wedding disaster, this time around in Thailand. Geek dentist Stu (Ed Helms) is heading off to get hitched with his Thai bride, and rather than face her deeply disapproving dad alone, he’s taking his infamously deja vu disorderly when drunk crew along too. Including Doug (Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and still stuck in first childhood Alan (Zach Galifiankis).
Following a night of less hangover than repeat alcoholic amnesia reprised from the first movie, the disoriented revelers find themselves lost somewhere in Bangkok, and camped out somehow in a fleabag hotel with a monkey who may be mistaking himself for a human. Meanwhile they discover that Stu’s future brother-in-law, a much too brainy college student, may have accompanied them but the only trace of him right now is a severed finger.
Eventually the kid is incorrectly discovered as an elderly mute monk who has taken a vow of silence so can’t be of any help. And to put it discreetly, monk and monkey get it on during a bus ride around town, when they should perhaps get a room instead. All of this lusty monkey business aside, there’s a bit of coming out and back inside the metaphorical closet as well, when one among the four daffy degenerates unwittingly taps into his dormant libido with relish, at a local transsexual brothel.
Directed once again by Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip), The Hangover Part II may sound a lot better on paper than it actually plays out on the big screen. Could be that such relatively bland blunders on the part of this prankster patrol is in no way enhanced by mining less sweet than sour humor on this particular tasteless turf, where Thailand is noted for its thriving sex tourism industry specializing in kids for hire.
The Hangover Part II: Time to go on the wagon with this one.
Warner Bros
Rated R
1 star
