Film Reviews

The Hangover 2

• Rating:
• Director: Todd Phillips
• Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Jamie Chung, Liam Neeson
• Details: US/101mins 16

It was always going to be a tough act to follow. The first Hangover is one of the biggest comedies of all time, and just two years after its release, is still endlessly pub-quotable. Director and co-writer Phillips has no intentions of rocking the boat, producing a sequel straight out of the classic Hollywood handbook - i.e. Upping the scale and changing the setting, but essentially keeping the same plot. There are laughs here, but somewhat inevitably they never come close to the genuine chortle riot of its predecessor. There's another wedding taking place. This time, musically gifted dentist, Stu (a still funny Helms) is due to tie the knot in Thailand but is adamant that pals Phil (Cooper anchoring the film) and Doug (a more prominent Bartha) do not throw him a bachelor party after the carnage that resulted last time. When the socially awkward Alan (a now kind of annoying Galifinakis) finds out about the wedding, the guys are semi-forced to take him along. After promising to have "just one drink" on the beach, our heroes wake up in a dingy hotel room in Bangkok with no idea how they got there - and missing Stu's teenage future brother-in-law. The Hangover 2 was always going to be more extreme when it comes to pushing boundaries, but revealing the details would be like giving you a punchline to a gag before you've even heard its set-up. Needless to say, the general debauchery is still there and centre more on the repressed Stu, who finds out that he has a "demon within him." Helms relishes the chance to let loose, and his mental collapse is thoroughly amusing. The best performance of the film, however, comes from Cooper, who once again oozes star presence but feels underused. That said, he is still the only actor that you can't take your eyes off. As the character tasked with the majority of the laughs, Alan's schtick is getting a little old; Galifianakis's insistence on playing him in almost every film since probably hasn't helped. You might buy these guys hanging out with him for the majority of the first film, but putting up with for another trip is a big ask. Further plot revelations only further enhance that point. There's only so far you can go with a film based around the concept of the aftermath of the worst hangover ever, and in fairness to Phillips and the cast, they try very hard to earn the audience's laughs. There's no doubt that the plot could have done with freshening up, and the déjà vu that accompanies it will undoubtedly grate on the nerves of some - but casual comedy fans will enjoy themselves, nonetheless.

Review by Mike Sheridan