“I rewatched the first Hangover a couple months ago on the plane to Vegas. It happened to be on my ipod, and it seemed appropriate. That movie is comedy gold, partly because it was unexpected. The second was almost a carbon copy. Details were changed, but the magic was lost. Now we’ve got one more chance, and we land somewhere in between.
First off, the formula was completely gone. No actual hangover in sight, no piecing together lost memories. It did feel a little off, but I think it was the right choice. You could argue that this was the hangover of their hangovers, trying to end the whole thing for once and for all. In that, they were successful. There was good closure to the series. We got to check in with most of the major characters, things got wrapped up, all is well in the world. Yes, there is still possibility for another, but I’d like to think that the Wolf Pack really is all growed up, and doesn’t decide to continue.
Purely as a comedy, the movie was okay. Again, nothing like the genius of the first. The gags I enjoyed most were the ones where I felt in on the joke from having been along for the ride before. If I didn’t already love these characters, I don’t know how much I would have cared about what was going on. Nothing was particularly inventive, but there’s still a comfort in playing it safe-ish.
This was also the first Vegas-set movie I’ve seen since my bday trip, so I did rather enjoy recognizing the sights. Lots of places I visited, and some good shots of the Stratosphere, the hotel I stayed at. No sign of the Goretorium, but I did catch Planet Hollywood right next door.
The Hangover Part III – \m/ \m/ \n