The Hangover Part 3

The Hangover Part 3 (2013)
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 21%

Hello Film Fans! This past Friday, an "epic" story, three films in the making, came to an end. Todd Phillips' Hangover trilogy is a favorite of Natty Ice swilling frat bros and mocha chai latte sipping office workers across America...well, the first installment at least. I have always had a sordid past with The Hangover franchise. When the first one came out in 2009, all of my friends saw it in the theater and told me about how hilarious it was. I, in recent years, have taken a stand against seeing comedies in the theater (especially if I have to pay a ludicrous amount of money to do so). The reasoning is this, the film will be just as funny if I RedBox it for $1 compared to seeing it for $11.50 with two hundred other people. The argument can be made that movies are funnier when other people are laughing with you. I think that may be true on a mental level but it doesn't actually make the film any funnier. It's like putting a laugh track into a show/movie that isn't really all that funny. No, when everyone was fawning over The Hangover, I was too busy laughing hysterically at the immortal I Love You, Man.

I often say "latas on the manjay"





Fact: I Love You, Man is one of the funniest films ever conceived and is Paul Rudd's greatest role (I would say Jason Segel too but Marshall Eriksen). Anyway, I have veered off topic...where was I? Right, The Hangover. I eventually saw The Hangover and chuckled throughout. I won't try to be a douche and say it wasn't funny. Zach Galifianakis was the best part of the entire film (trilogy), but he just isn't enough to carry the whole brand to greatness. The Hangover grossed $467+ million dollars in the box office. It was a critical success with a certified fresh rating at 79%. Then we move on to the 2011 sequel which earned $580+ million dollars at the box office. This is likely due to the excitement of the same characters getting into crazier situations. It is also likely that The Hangover gained an even wider fanbase once it hit retail markets. The critical reviews of the film put it at a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes because the plot was recycled. Nothing new was brought to the table. The franchise should have died there, but it didn't. Phillips tried to squeeze the last bit of soul out of the story with the third installment. At the time of this writing, Wikipedia reports that The Hangover 3 has made an estimated $81,251,829 which is about $20 million short of its budget. The critical response is even more underwhelming than its predecessor, and it is on track to just barely be considered a success. I honestly believe that The Hangover should have been one film and everyone would have been much happier.

The Hangover 3 brings us back to the familiar characters of Doug (the always absent from the plot Justin Bartha), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and the lovable man-child Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan has started acting more aloof than usual and begins to act out when his father (Jeffrey Tambor) dies of a heart attack. The family decides that an intervention is the best thing for Alan, and they request that Phil, Doug, and Stu take him to a rehab center. On route to Arizona, where the clinic is located, the group is forced off the road by men in pig masks. They blindfold the guys, throw them in a moving van, and take them to the desert. They are taken out of the van and we are introduced to a new character, Marshall (John Goodman). This is actually not the first time we have heard of Marshall. A flashback is shown of the first film where Black Doug, (Mike Epps) expresses concern that Marshall will kill him if he discovers that he sold the wrong drugs to Alan. Marshall informs that guys that he has been swindled by Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong). Chow has stolen $21 million in gold bars from him and because Alan still maintains contact with him, they are to lure him out of hiding so they can retrieve the gold. As collateral, Marshall decides to keep Doug with him (effectively removing Bartha from the rest of the film, per usual). Phil, Stu, and Alan then go on an increasingly bizarre road trip to find their old friend so that they can get Doug back alive.

I am not going to say that The Hangover 3 was devoid of comedy; it wasn't. My problem with it is it just felt trite and forced. Alan did ridiculous things because that is his character, and those moments were funny. However, it seems that none of the characters have developed at all. This is the firs time that Phillips has had multiple films to explore his character's personalities and developments, but he just lets it fall flat. I wasn't expecting some great character driven farce, but it would have been nice to know that Phil isn't still some self righteous jerkoff and that Stu has finally grown a spine. There really are no defining moments in the film that lend itself to an in depth discussion on technique so...

No BS

Don't see Hangover 3 in the theater. It isn't worth it. I was fortunate enough to see it for $6 so my wallet didn't feel the sting nearly as bad as could have. Wait for it to hit RedBox or Netflix and enjoy it with a group of friends (chug some alcohol for the full effect). With a weak story, jokes that fall flat, and characters that have become uninteresting it just isn't worth the time or money.

My Score: 6/10