The Hangover Part II

The original The Hangover wasn't everybody's cup of tea (or indeed, bottle of beer), but what it did have was fresh creative energy in large amounts which showed itself in the innovative structure and the sheer unpredictability of some of the events. This was actually the source of much of the humour. So making a sequel, you have a choice of whether to find something new and equally inventive or to repeat the same gags, merely upping the gross out factor.

Unfortunately, here the filmakers decided to go with option B. The same tricks are repeated again, replacing the surprise factor of the original with more ugly extremes. So the film starts with a telephone conversation between the same two characters (who in this instance would have no real reason to be talking). The baby is replaced by a monkey, the prostitute by a ladyboy, the tiger by a mute monk and so on and so forth. The result is all very predictable, unengaging and unfunny. To be fair, there is one moment of genuine invention, where the flashback enters the mind of Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who sees them playing out the events of the previous evening as children. But this moment just highlights what lazy film-making the rest of it is. It goes from bad to worse at the end when the viewers eardrums are assaulted by the aural torture that is Mike Tyson trying to sing One Night in Bangkok.

Overall - 4/10 A comedy so unfunny that not even the presence of Paul Giamatti can lift it.