"The Hangover Part II", wilder, crazier, bigger, bolder...

The Hangover Part II

...But by no means better. Director Todd Phillips and the whole "wolfpack" wanted to repeat the succesful formula of the engaging and fresh first movie, but they do so without really adding anything new (aside from some stunning scenery of Thailand) to the original "The Hangover". But by just repeating it, they loose some part of the charm, and lot of the fun.

The plot is quite simple. Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married in Thailand. So along with Doug (Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Teddy (brother of Stu's fianceé) and, regretfully, Alan (Zach Galifianakis), they enjoy a quiet night previous to awakening in the midst of a catasthropic room remembering nothing. Again.

So, Phil, Stu, and Alan, are back into a run-against-time race, but this time the troubles and adventures of our gang take place in Bangkok, while they try to find Teddy before Stu's weeding. And they more they know about the night, the crazier the situation turns. If you thought the first "Hangover" was wild, you have seen nothing yet.

This hyper-vitaminated and exotic version of "The Hangover", have some hilarious moments (majority of them involving Alan), but they are few compared with its first part. Besides, the movie is never able of escaping from the parameters of its predecesor. Unfortunately, director Todd Philips is not interested in offering anything else except a sequel. But the formula is obviously too stretched towards the middle section of the film, and despite Mr. Chow's bigger role (not really funny as he has a quite short palette of gags) and the apparition of Paul Giamatti, there's not much to offer. Worse, as you are forced to compare, there's not much to laugh about.

Its easy to understand that director, producer and film cast were eager to put a second part on theathers. But although the "The Hangover Part II" is a pleasant and fun ride, now the threat of making a franchise of it (why not? the producers may be asking themselves, Alan is still single, so the premise for a third chapter is easy) is evidently there, and it seriously damages the quality of the final product. Hope they think about it.

SCORE: 5,75/10