Did you see all the crazy, hysterical antics that were pulled during The Hangover Part III? If so, please point me in that direction. All I saw was an attempt at comedy that lacked any of the successful methods of the franchise’s previous films. We were all looking for something slightly different after the first two films had virtually the same plot in two different settings, but no one said to take the jokes away. Part III has the wolf pack attempting to find a criminal’s (John Goodman) gold in exchange for freeing their friend Doug (Justin Bartha). Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis reprise their roles as the leads and Ken Jeong’s role is inexplicably given a featured role as the exhausting Chow.
If we want to critique the film’s visual elements, it’s clear that director Todd Phillips took advantage of a sizeable budget to showcase some of the great landscapes the film is set in. But is that really what we’re talking about in the review for The Hangover Part III? The script seems to remain open in order to give the stars some improvisation time, but that proves to be too much of a task. Cooper is subdued, just throwing in an occasional swear word to appear authentic. Maybe the Oscar nominee has outgrown such roles. Helms is grating in his role that consists of a ton of incessant whining. Then there’s the perceived sure thing performance of Galifianakis. But in an attempt to develop the Allen character into a sympathetic and layered personality, the script loses sight of the fact that this is THE HANGOVER!
I’d rather not give too many words to Ken Jeong’s performance because even though the actor is likeable enough, his character is mostly unwatchable. At least he got the memo that the movie is supposed to be over-the-top. I guess the story wraps up at a point where we can be happy walking away from the trilogy. It’s just a difficult film to get a grasp of. The advertisements said very little about the plot and after watching the film, I understand why. There’s not much to draw in fans. There is however an in-credit sequence that leaves the audience wishing that had been the basis for the entire film. I guess we were wrong thinking the morning after template needed to go this time around. It’s sorely missed.
Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.
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