When The Hangover was released in 2009, nobody was expecting much from the comedy starring three under-the-radar actors — which is exactly why the surprisingly hilarious and original film took the world by storm and killed it at the box office. Fast-forward four years, and we're upon the release of The Hangover Part III, which suffers from the opposite effect. The film is highly anticipated by fans hoping to re-create the magic of the original (and forget Part II), but aside from a few sporadic laughs, the film is another disappointing installment in a franchise that should have quit while it was ahead.
I have to give some credit to director Todd Phillips, who at least tried to go in a new direction with Part III. The "what happened last night?" formula showcased in the first two films is left behind this time, favoring a straight plotline centered on Alan (Zach Galifianakis) hitting rock bottom and the Wolfpack setting off on a road trip to get him to rehab. You don't need me to tell you that the plan goes terribly awry when Doug (Justin Bartha) is taken hostage and the guys are tasked with tracking down the elusive Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). What you may not expect is that the story is so uneven that I actually found myself missing all the blacked-out-drunken drama. Without that element, it feels like one of the characters is missing from the movie.
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