In the summer of 2009, The Hangover, the story of a Las Vegas bachelor party gone tastelessly awry, was the movie to see. It took in $467 million in worldwide box office — the highest gross ever for an R-rated comedy — and made Zach Galifianakis a star. Now, the ill-fated party boys are back, in Bangkok this time, with The Hangover Part II. Is their Eastern misadventure as much fun as the original Vegas version? (Watch the movie's trailer.)
No, this is just a tired attempt to cash in again: It's "more of the same, and yet less," says Stephanie Zacharek at Movieline. The sequel has the same structure and cast as the first, but none of the untamed charm and "ingenious loopiness." This time around, the contrived, overly tailored "writing and direction smell more like marketing than actual filmmaking."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Do smartphone bans in schools work?The Explainer Trials in UK, New Zealand, France and the US found prohibition may be only part of the solution
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequelThe Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
7 US cities to explore on a microtripThe Week Recommends Not enough vacation days? No problem.
