Review: “The Hangover Part III” tired and unfunny
From left, Zach Galifianakis as Alan, Bradley Cooper as Phil and Ed Helms as Stu in “The Hangover Part III.” Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.
Preston Barta/ Film Critic
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Back in 2009, director Todd Phillips introduced audiences to the infamous “wolfpack” in “The Hangover,” the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. Often vulgar and crude, the film nonetheless had a clever script with well-developed characters that we loved to be around and see get into trouble. But what started out as a luminous piece of comedy has now been stretched out into an unnecessary trilogy that lacks the keen sense of debauchery and creativity that made the original such a hit.
In “The Hangover Part III,” the filmmakers ditch the formula of a drunken bachelor party gone wrong. This time around we find Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) on the road to take Alan (Zach Galifianakis), who has been off of his meds, to get psychiatric treatment. However, the foursome get ambushed by Marshall (John Goodman), a crime boss who thinks that they can help locate $20 million in gold that Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) stole from him around the time that the original took place.
To no one’s surprise, Marshall takes Doug hostage until the trio can retrieve what is rightfully his. That sends the gang on wild goose chases around Mexico and back to Las Vegas, where the first film was set.
This third outing is not quite the misstep that the second was, but it’s nothing exceptional either. The filmmakers certainly deserve mad props for shaking up the formula and creating a new plot— even if that plot is slim and flimsy.
The film has its moments here and there, partly due to a handful of Galifianakis’ one-liners and childlike behavior. But the biggest blunder that this chapter makes is putting Galifianakis and Jeong at the forefront. These actors have comedic talent out the wazoo, but their outlandish characters are best taken in small doses, as they wear out their welcome and become extremely repetitive in nature.
“The Hangover Part III” is another letdown and should never have come to the silver screen. If filmgoers are looking for a heavy hand of good laughs, they won’t find it here.
“The Hangover Part III” opens today.
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