The Hangover Part III Review

 

Written by: Jon Guzik 



 

 

 

The third movie of a trilogy is a tough nut to crack, since movie franchises run out of steam by a third film.  The Hangover Part III, while it falls into this category of threequels, it's ultimately a funny, intense, and satisfying end to the “Wolf-Pack Saga”.  Following 2009’s freshly hilarious original and 2011’s copycat abysmal sequel, this third entry mixes up the formula of the first 2 for a much more original idea.  At certain times throughout the movie I was wondering if I was watching an action thriller or a comedy.  The opening sequence in particular feels somewhat out of place amongst some of the more childish antics witnessed over the past 2 films.  The focus also has been moved more to Alan (Zach Galifianakis), in which it is up to Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) to bring him to rehab because he’s acting even more ridiculous than normal being off his medication for 6 months.             

That’s when things get a little crazy, and instead of a hangover to deal with, the Wolf Pack must deal with a gangster named Marshall (John Goodman, channeling his best Walter Sobchak here).  He stops them on their way to drop Alan off at rehab, when Marshall explains that Black Doug (Mike Epps) works for him, and that Chow (Ken Jeong) stole over $20 million in gold from him, both of which set in motion the story that started all the way back in The Hangover.  Marshall then kidnaps White Doug and threatens that if Chow isn’t delivered to him, Doug will die.  That sets in motion the traveling the three of them do just to look for Chow.  Now although Galifianakis and Jeong can be very funny at times, putting their characters as the main focus of this movie seems a little much, leaving characters like Stu and Phil with not much to do, therefore giving the cast a very unbalanced feel.  It’s still fun to see these characters interact again-especially now that Alan has a love/hate relationship with the wolf pack (loves Phil and his shirts, hates Stu).

"You think I'm fucking around here? Mark it zero!"

 

Taking the gang to Mexico seemed like an obvious choice, and giving a sense of closure by bringing us back to Vegas was a nice touch.  We even get some fun cameos, including Carlos from the first movie, and Melissa McCarthy playing a pawn shop owner with the hots for Alan.  Not every character has good moments, Doug is as useless as ever just being a plot point for the kidnapping, and Marshall played by Goodman is pretty menacing at times, but ultimately is only in a few scenes and the character was basically a throw away.  That being said, I found myself laughing throughout most of the film, which is certainly more than I can say for Part II.

Mixing up the formula from the first/second films, Hangover Part III is a pretty uneven movie.  It almost seems like an action thriller with funny scenes, rather than the other way around.  Most of the characters are very funny to watch, and have some great lines (“I’ve got a pretty dope sense of humor, brah”).  Not as funny and refreshing as the original, but light-years better than the sequel, Hangover Part III has some genuinely laugh-out loud moments and is a fitting end to the Wolf Pack Trilogy, just don’t get this film confused with Bad Boys.

  Grade: B

 

***Scene after credits Warning***

You think Stu's face tattoo was bad..........?

 

P.S.--Best Giraffe beheading put on film.  In the words of Chow "Who you apart of, PETA?  Pussy...."