Review of The Hangover Part II (2011) by Alhypo — 28 Dec 2011

This movie is deplorable. Do not believe anyone who says "The problem with this movie is that it is the same as the first one." If that were the only thing wrong with it, I could forgive them for that.

While the plots are very similar, the first movie was actually funny and displayed some elements of effective storytelling and character development. Part II has a handful of chuckles but nothing that will make you laugh.

Also, this movie is Swiss cheese when it comes to plot holes. Any given movie can have a few logical transgressions and depict some unlikely events (like a chance encounter) but this film leaves too many events unexplained.

One or two improbable events in a movie is okay because unlikely events do happen, but a movie quickly becomes unconvincing when you go beyond this. The Hangover Part II is a prime example of this. While the plot is terrible and it is not funny, the main reason this movie suffers is because the characters are so poorly developed.

I can only describe them as "flat" even though the plot provided plenty of support for this. Despite its comedic nature, this movie does contain some very dark subject matters. The internal turmoil this should have elicited from these characters was glossed over with mere facial expressions and contortions of discomfort.

Worse yet, the seriousness of these dark elements hindered the comedic slant they were aiming for. Although the first movie was not exceptional, I did derive much enjoyment from it. This movie is not funny enough to be considered a comedy, it is not outlandish enough to qualify as a farce, and the lackluster plot and characters prevent if from developing any dramatic or thematic elements.

It is easily one of the worst movies I have seen. I am not normally compelled to write reviews for movies I hate or enjoy but this one is so bad I just had to vent my distaste.