Film Review- "The Hangover: Part 3"

A tweet from myself (@ChrisFlaertweet), on May 2nd 2013:

"#Hangover3....All I can say is Ed Helms, I hope it was worth leaving for half of the final season of #TheOffice #Hereshoping"

The Hangover: Part 3
Directed By Todd Phillips
Starring Bradley Cooper as Phil, Ed Helms as Stu, Zach Galifanakis as Alan

....Imagine you just heard Disney announced they were making a film starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Then you saw the trailers for that film, and then you saw the actual film, and what you saw wasn't quite what you expected. Instead of seeing a film where those three beloved cartoon characters are singing, dancing and having up-beat adventures...you saw a film where they were hired to take a hit out on Scrooge McDuck and steal all his money.

That's kind of like what The Hangover Part 3 is. It takes characters from films of one genre, and then puts them in a film of another genre. In this case, comical characters are put into an action/heist film.

Alan (Galifanakis) has been off his meds for awhile. After his father (Jeffery Tambor) dies of a heart attack, his family and The Wolfpack stage an intervention for him. While driving Alan to a rehab center in Arizona, the group is ambushed by a group of thugs led by Marshall (John Goodman). Marshall has some unfinished business with the recently escaped from prison, Mr. Chow (Jeong), and wants him DOA. Seeing is how Alan is the only one Chow's had recent contact with, Marshall demands The Wolfpack track him down, and takes Doug (Justin Bartha) as insurance. Alan, Stu (Helms), and Phil (Cooper) are soon tracking Chow down all over the west coast, on an adventure that takes them from Tijuana and back to Las Vegas.

First off, this film is not as funny as the original. It's not even as funny as the second installment. It completely throws out the formula of the first two. The humor is actually much darker this time around (A giraffe is decapitated within the first five minutes). If that's your type of humor you'll enjoy it like I did, but the laughs aren't as frequent in this Hangover film. As you may have guessed already, this is more like an action movie than a comedy movie.

BUT...it works. It does have its laughs, and its a good watch. You do retain a general interest in the story (Props to Todd Phillips for all the little ties back to the original movie), you do care about these characters, and you want to see them make it out of this. Especially considering this time around, their predicament really isn't the result of their idiocy, but Chow's.

I don't have much to say about the returning cast members. They all do a fine job. Galifanakis is losing his appeal though, in my opinion. Ken Jeong I find annoying 90% of the time. John Goodman as Marshall is a fine addition. Melissa McCarthy has a funny little cameo as a pawnbroker in Vegas. Not to spoil anything, but some characters from the first film make return appearances, and it's fun to see them all again.

The Hangover: Part 3 is not what you would expect from the conclusion of a comedy trilogy. But you can still walk out of the theater a satisfied viewer. With the exception of the first film, this trilogy won't have that much of a lasting impact. But Part 3 will stay with you for at least a little while, either tickling your funny bone, or just making you go "...Huh."

*Probably some of the funniest laughs will come from the post-credits scene.

**If you were by any chance a little curious as to what it would be like if Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were hit men...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTSWo2y0NIY