About The Movie:
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. In the aftermath of the death of Alan's father, the
wolfpack decide to take Alan to get treated for his mental issues. But things
start to go wrong on the way to the hospital as the wolfpack is assaulted and
Doug is kidnapped. Now they must find Mr. Chow again in order to surrender him
to the gangster who kidnapped Doug in order to save him.
There is a sense of cohesiveness and
completion to the larger narrative and though it is easily the strongest
storyline of the three films, the usual plot-holes and ridiculousness can be
found by those who go looking. Not to worry, though: there are still plenty of
sex, drug, anatomical and body fluid jokes to go around. On the whole, the film
offers a steady stream of medium laughs, but there are no “classic,”
laugh-out-loud or big-cringe moments like first two films had. In terms of
character, The Hangover was an origin story of how three very different guys
affect one another and form a bond; Hangover II was Stu’s story of… (cough)…
‘personal discovery,’ but the third film is all about Alan, and Zach
Galifianakis rises to the occasion. The only thing more comical than seeing
Alan’s usual cutesy/creepy awkwardness is seeing Alan try to mature into manhood.
Alan’s concept of “cool” is one of the best reoccurring gags the film has, and
Galifianakis’ delivery seems much more organic and fun than the hard stares and
snippy lines his character was previously known for.
By the end, though, there is a
definite sense that these characters have each grown and evolved and their
send-off is bittersweet which is a positive achievement for any franchise. This
film is an experience best enjoyed by those loyal fans who want to see the end
of the Wolfpack saga. Those coming to the franchise for the first time
(assuming you exist) will have zero idea what all the hype has been about while
those just looking for a bigger, better set of laughs than The Hangover Part II
offered are going to likely (and ironically) be disappointed this isn’t that
same kind of party.
What Is Good/Bad About The Movie:
With The Hangover 3, the masses of
fans who complained that the second film was a disappointment (due to its
replication of the first film’s formula and gags) are now getting what they
wanted (for better or worse): something different. Whether that ‘different
something’ satisfies or not depends entirely on each viewer’s relationship with
the franchise at this point. If you’re invested in the characters and like
watching them banter and interact, then Hangover 3 is a solid film; but if your
only real interest in the franchise were the sick and outrageous reveals that
came with the “What did we do last night?” formula… then the third film is
probably not going strike your funny bone all that often. (Maybe you really did
want more of the same after all?)
Ken Jeong gets much more material to
work with this time around, but still pretty much portrays the same outlandish
Chinese stereotype we’ve seen in previous installments. John Goodman is
properly menacing as Marshall, and holds the story together with a proper
villain. I won’t spoil the cameos featured in the film let’s just say the
comedic actors (both new additions and returning players) each bring some nice
laughs, while other returning actors aren’t all that effective. One cameo in
particular may have you getting a bit emotional (if you can believe it).
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