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| Ken Jeong stars in The Hangover Part III |
From our friends at DC Film Review...
Hangover 3: Too Much Chow
Why even bother? I can’t imagine that audiences were clamoring for a second sequel to The Hangover; but after suffering through all 100 minutes of Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part III, I guarantee you I won’t waste another second contemplating the sheer laziness of the trilogy’s director/producer/creative “genius.” Hangover 3 is a bad idea from start to finish; whose sole purpose is to make money at the expense of those who feel obliged to see it.
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: "The Hangover Part III" is the third and final film in director Todd Phillips' record-shattering comedy franchise. This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
What’s Best: You have to look pretty hard for any kind of “silver lining” as everyone from Bradley Cooper on down, “mails this one in.” Wolfpack mainstay Zach Galifianakis has his moments as bumbling Alan; but they’re few and far between. A stirring rendition of Ave Maria and an erotic battle of lollipops with Melissa McCarthy are all that stands between this movie and a failing grade of F.
What’s Not: Where should I start? How about the curious decision to center the film around bad guy Chow (Ken Jeong) whose rants and third-person references grow tiresome within the first few minutes. Isn’t the whole appeal of this series, the camaraderie between Alan, Phil and Stu? Hangover 3 is mean-spirited to a fault, with none of the original’s charm and humor. Cooper spends most of his time trying to look cool, while Helms and fourth wheel (Justin Bartha as Doug) hang on for dear life. Why bother casting Doug in the first place, when Phillips & co. hide him from sight faster than you can say, “Hey, what happened to that Doug dude?” 30-somethings getting into trouble is kinda funny: Watching 40-somethings do it (for the umpteenth time) is sad and boring.
Best Line: Alan’s ‘He was my life partner’ when eulogizing his recently deceased father is worth a chuckle, but most lines miss the mark. ‘Let’s make a deal. Want Chow to blow your dick? I could be a good wife to you.’ Need I say more?
Overall: I titled my review for The Hangover Part II “Sequels Suck,” and the same could be said for the third (and hopefully final chapter.) Fans deserve more than wet pant jokes and wild cockfights, don’t they? Cooper’s Phil asks, ‘What the f*ck am I watching?’ I’m still trying to find out myself. Not all sequels are bad, but this obvious money grab should be avoided at all costs.
Grade: D-
