The Hangover Part III
I probably laughed more than I should have during “The Hangover Part III.” Granted, that was kind of true during the first “Hangover” in 2009, but at least that was genuinely, almost ingeniously, inspired in its premise and execution. With their third time out, co-writer/director Todd Phillips and the on-screen “Wolfpack” don’t have much they can surprise us with. And yet, I find myself pleasantly surprised by how much took me off-guard in this unexpected “three-quel.”
Thankfully, Phillips and co-writer Craig Mazin aren’t rehashing the same “what happened the night before” formula like they did in “The Hangover Part II.” Instead, they find a way of bringing together story elements from the first two movies into a film that goes off in its own direction, while also putting Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) into dangerous situations. If you’re hoping for logic, don’t hold your breath; the point is to turn these there’s lives into comedic anarchy, with a little bit of introspection thrown in.
This time, it’s all about the chaos of Alan, and it’s wise that they put Galifianakis front-and-center, since he’s always been the catalyst for some of the series’s best moments. Here, it’s the death of his father (Jeffrey Tambor) that starts to bring him down, although a freeway incident with a giraffe doesn’t help, either. One of the best touches here is the introduction of the great Nine Inch Nails song, “Hurt,” into the film. And even though it’s done by Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) when we first hear it, if you listen to the lyrics, and that’s the journey Alan must take, and Galifianakis makes it an interesting, and wild, ride.
As for the film itself, I reiterate my previous statement of laughing more than I should have. (In fact, as my girlfriend will attest to, I was usually the only one laughing most of the time.) What can I say? There’s something insane and whacked-out about parts of this movie that really got at my funnybone. I never said I was proud of it.
