“It happened again!” says a distraught Phil as Todd Philip’s The Hangover Part II begins. And he’s not lying. The sequel to the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time in the US is pretty much a Bangkok set remake, but fortunately what was funny in Vegas is still funny here.
The film, set two years after the first, takes place around Stu’s (Ed Helms) wedding in Thailand. He invites Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha) and reluctantly Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and attempts to prevent a repeat of 2009's drunken antics by replacing a bachelor party with a bachelor brunch. Suffice to say it doesn’t work and after what set out to be a few quiet drinks on the beach, the Wolf pack find themselves waking up, dazed and confused in a dingy Bangkok hotel with a scantily clad Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong).
From here, fans of the original will know where the film is going as it follows the formula of the first almost down to a tee, albeit rather than Doug, the trio find themselves looking for Stu’s brother-in-law to be, Teddy, who is seemingly alone and missing a finger somewhere in the belly of Bangkok.
Once again Alan gets all the best lines, there is a car chase, Stu sings a song, people get hurt, a hilarious photo-montage plays people out of the cinema and a monkey replaces the baby as the cute tag-along.
However, it is Bangkok which ensures the film doesn’t suffer due to its striking similarities to Part 1. A city so dark, dingy and seemingly dangerous gives the film a dark edge that the first one was lacking. Things are more desperate, crueler and ultimately the laughs are often more in disbelief at what is happening as a result. To go into anymore detail would ruin some hilariously grim moments, suffice to say, it really is a case of if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.
Despite knowing where the film is going to go due to the clear similarities to the first film, The Hangover Part II takes full advantage of its new, dark Bangkok playground to provide more laughs that dance across the line of bad taste. Some will find the sameness irritating and it is hard to argue against the idea that the film as merely a remake of the first in a new location; but in the end it doesn’t matter. Part II is formulaic but very funny. If you laughed in Vegas, you’ll laugh in Bangkok. Or to coin Alan’s claim – “When a monkey nibbles on a penis, it’s funny in any language.”
(Fans of the Wolf pack and those who didn’t find familiarity funny will be pleased to hear that Todd Philips has recently stated that “If we were to do a third one, if the audience, if the desire was there, I think we have a very clear idea where that would head. It’s certainly not in the same template that you’ve seen these movies. The third would be very much a finale and an ending. The most I could say about it, what’s in my head, and I haven’t discussed it with these actors, is that it is not following that template but very much a new idea.”)
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