Film: The Hangover, Part II

GENRE: Comedy
RATING: R for nudity, language & drug use
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 42 minutes
STARRING: Bradley Cooper (Limitless, A-Team) Ed Helms (The Office), Zach Galifianakis (Due Date)
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips (Due Date, Old School, Hangover)
WRITERS: Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 3), Scot Armstrong (Road Trip) & Todd Phillips (Starsky & Hutch, Road Trip, Old School, Due Date)
PLOT: Same “what happened last night” hangover, different location.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 When I see the words “Part II”, I expect a continuation of a story; like “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II”. This is no continuation; this film is a carbon copy of the original. It’s the exact same story with different elements subbed in. Instead of a baby, a monk in a wheelchair. Instead of a precious tiger, we get a precious monkey. The beats are exactly the same. I expected some similarities but come on. It really looked like lazy writing.
2 Despite the similar storyline, the chemistry of the wolf pack remains intact. The three leads do play well off each other which made the movie somewhat bearable.
3 That was a cool skyscraper near the end of the film. It would be cool to have dinner there.
4 The music was much better in their first outing. Songs didn’t have the same punch this time around. I also missed the Dan Band for Stu’s wedding. Maybe they are too famous now.
5 Three words: too much penis.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD if you really liked the first one.
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Tree of Life, Super 8