Hangover 2

“I can’t believe this is happening again”.

These were the words of Ed Helms’ character, Stu, in this summer’s comedy blockbuster sequel The Hangover 2. These words came to haunt me, just as they will come to haunt you.

In its defence, this movie is exactly what it says: the story of a second hangover. But any adult can tell you this is a dumb idea. The first movie was great because it was the story of the first hangover, which is a rite of passage into adulthood. The second hangover and every hangover afterward is nothing but a reminder that you’re irresponsible, shallow, and desperate. And this is what the Hangover 2 is and why it sucks.

Reprising their roles from the original are the same mischievous morons: Ed Helms (The Office, Cedar Rapids) as Stu the risk-averse dentist; Bradley Cooper (Limitless, and the sexiest man alive!) as a repressed fratboy family man and the unforgettable Zach Galifianakis (Between Two Ferns, Bored to Death) as Alan, the eccentric stay-at-home son. This time the setting is in Bangkok, Thailand (or “thye-land”, as Alan sees it), where the crew are celebrating Stu’s wedding to his attractive Thai fiancé. Unfortunately for him, she comes packaged with a disapproving, demanding father (not an Asian stereotype at all). The story is as follows: Stu gets drugged, wakes up, convolutedly puts together the previous night and then returns to wedding just in time to get married and tell off his father-in-law. Meh.

This movie falls victim to the same things most re-packaged blockbuster sequels do: a lack of original content concealed by an overuse of gimmicky hooks, an over-reliance on formula and a lazy, rushed script. In the industry, they call this the “Transformers Effect”. The cast was beefed up, the stakes were raised, but the premise and script were unchanged. The movie cashed in financially, but failed to deliver on any comedic or artistic level. Note to hipsters: there’s an art to making a good movie, and it doesn’t even have to involve Ryan Gosling, consignment shop clothing, or a summertime scarf.

Without a doubt, the most redeeming quality of this comedy is the hit-or-miss one-liners from Alan. He confuses a Buddhist monastery for a PF Chang’s, claims he is a nurse that just isn’t registered, and likens a med student’s future to the eventual sexual orientation of Doogie Howser. Supposedly, Mel Gibson was originally meant to play the tattoo artist, but was pushed out by the cast and crew amidst his spousal abuse allegations. Apparently a racist, religiously fundamental, ill-tempered actor was too low-brow for a movie that blasts your face with a tranny’s genitals and features man-eating woman-abusing Mike Tyson as a happy-go-lucky singer.

Overall, this movie was an Adam Sandler-calibre effort that bored more than it amused. Take solace in the fact that all of the main characters are now married (well… except Alan, but realistically who would marry Zach Galifianakis?), which means the likelihood of another bachelor party is extremely low. But trust me on this: to cure The Hangover 2 you’ll need Tylenol 3s.

Oh yeah, there’s a monkey in it.

1.5/5 stars.