Review of The Hangover Part III (2013) by Eric M — 16 May 2015

The Hangover Part III is the conclusion to the most successful comedy film series of all-time, and although it can't reach the magic of the original it still manages to surpass brings us an ending to a trilogy that is respectable and dignified. Let's face it, we all have seen the original Hangover and we all fell in love with it instantly. The characters were crazy and enjoyable, the premise was simple but played out very well, and the dark humor was brilliant and executed perfectly by its cast. But then they had to make a Part II and just rehash the original film and try to ruin the storyline, but luckily it wasn't bad enough to ruin the original. So of course I was skeptical going to see this film, as of course the reviews for it were unfavorable and I didn't know if taking the series in a new direction was a smart choice, but overall I commend them for making some new changes and giving us something that isn't a complete waste of time. Granted, this film isn't the laugh out loud riot that the original was, but it still has some good laughs at many moments and even some good throwbacks to the original film that make this feel like a true trilogy. To be fully honest, all I was worrying about was how they handled the characters and for the most part they do it very well and end their story perfectly and memorable. I did have some problems with the overuse of Ken Jeong but I expected this from when I saw the trailer so it didn't come as a surprise, but what made him so great before was that he stood out in very small moments. Now they have him as the main drive of the story and have every character keep talking about how crazy he is, and at a moment I just felt that he didn't need to be used as much as he was. Todd Phillips can handle comedy, he has proved that before and I trust him, but he seemed like he wanted to take this series to a very dark place in the past two films and I just never liked it. However, moments such as seeing a Black Doug, Stu's former prostitute wife, and even little baby Tyler (a.k.a. Carlos) are reasons that I enjoyed myself for the most part when seeing this film. I left the theater enjoying how the filmmakers handled the conclusion of these characters that I have grown to love, and although it isn't the great film I had hoped for, it still concludes the trilogy in a way that makes you want to go back and watch the first film all over again.

The story follows the Wolfpack which includes Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifanakas) back at their steak of bad luck. This time they are forced by a crime lord (John Goodman) to find Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) after he steals $21 million from him or else he is going to kill Doug (Justin Bartha). Their search leads them back to where this all started: Vegas.

The plot of the film shouldn't be focused on the story, but instead the characters because that is what has drove the series for me. Phil, Stu and Alan have been the lovable crazy guys that have had a bunch of wild adventures in which they have always had to find someone after a night of crazy partying, but instead now they have to find Chow because due to the events of the first film it is their fault that he has escaped prison and stolen all of Goodman's money. I enjoyed that the writers made it so that the events of the past two films matter for the story arc of this film, it just made this finale feel bigger than I expected. One of the main issues with this script is that they lose the magic that made this series how popular it is today, and that is the element of surprise. They would show us a series of events that they didn't remember taking place and it was funny for us because we were learning it all with them, but now this film is just a man hunt for a drug crazed Asian. I enjoyed how they didn't attempt to rehash the original like Part II, but it still feels a bit out of place at times. But due to the sweet and heartwarming moments that true fans of this series will enjoy, I ended up realizing that this trilogy had a good run and ended perfectly. The characters are pretty much as great as we had hoped, with Phil being the cool one, Stu being the skeptical and overreacting one, and Alan just being... well... Alan. It's a very rough ride for Alan in this film, as the writers decide to turn him into a bit of a jerk and make him grow in the film. I didn't know how I felt about this as Alan has always been the funniest of the trio and I hate to see him be such a jerk to his friends after he has made such progress in the past two films. But overall he is the true star of this film and his growth is what makes the film special in many ways. I am going to admit that I wasn't a fan of Leslie Chow in this film. We all must admit his magic and great one liner jokes were perfect in the first film because they didn't use him a lot, but now in the past two films they have made him into a complete psychopath that just tries to annoy the audience. But I believed they needed him to truly end the series, and luckily they give him the conclusion that The Hangover trilogy needed. Many will argue about this script and its issues, but I guess for this film I believed the positives outweighed the negatives, especially considering the awful second films storyline.

The cast is filled with many big stars that have made this series as popular as it is, and without the great trio of actors I don't believe this series would be as popular as it has become. Bradley Cooper has risen as one of the most popular actors of this generation of films, and most people will agree it's because of this series that his career truly lifted off. His performance in this film is, dare I say it, near perfection. I mean he plays the performance of his character perfectly, and he gives his narcissistic character that edge that he needed. He lives up to all the expectation that he needed, and he brings back the great stuff that made him so funny in the original. Ed Helms is good as well, although one of the funniest aspects of the series is that all the horrible events mostly affect him, and they don't really have that (until a brilliant moment in a scene during the credits). I really enjoyed his performance and he brings some good laughs, but he sadly just doesn't give that crazy and stand out performance that I loved in the first films. Zach Galifanakas has become one of the most popular comedians in the world, and that is due to his obesity, his charm, his sense of humor, and his beard. His performance in this film drives the story and his growth as a character, and since this film series is the reason he has grown as one of the most respected comedians in today's culture, it's only fitting that he is the true star of this film. Ken Jeong is annoying as I said before, but given how the writers didn't give him much of a choice I will say that he does play his part well. I do still miss the brilliant character he gave us back in 2009, but I guess it's too late now. John Goodman really didn't have much of a purpose to being in this film, other than his brilliant way of being a very intimidating actor. With that being said, anyone could've played his character and it wouldn't have made a difference. Other appearances such as Heather Graham, Melissa McCarthy, and Jeffrey Tambor make good use of their screen time, and I enjoyed seeing them. Overall the Wolfpack returns one last time and brings back the fun and charm that we have come to adore, and I was glad to see them together one last time.

The Hangover Part III has some big issues, there is no denying this, but I felt that it was a much better film than its predecessor and it is worth watching for all fans of the hilarious and great original. Todd Phillips has directed many comedies over the years, and I must admit I have been a fan of the majority of his work, but I felt like at some moments he lost track of where he wanted to go with this series. There are many franchises that should just end and be done with it, and I believed that was the case as soon as I saw "The Hangover Part II," but luckily he gave us one last film that would conclude his story and give me the satisfaction of the characters that I needed. There have been many crazy things that have happened to the Wolfpack in these three films, such as Stu losing a tooth, finding a lost baby, discovering a tiger in their bathroom, Stu marrying a prostitute, being beaten up by a monk, and even Stu accidentally having sex with a transgender gay male (yeah most of the stuff happened to Stu). It has become iconic and most people now view their bachelor parties as pathetic compared to the wild night the characters in this series have. But in this film there is no bachelor party, no tigers, no missing teeth, just a hunt for someone who has made their lives a living hell for two films. While it sounds boring, the film handles it very well and gives us some crazy situations that the series lives for, and while many didn't find the film very funny I found myself laughing a lot. It might be just my love for the characters or my ability to look past Ken Jeong's over the top performance, but I just found this film to be very funny and have a much better script than its predecessor. The film will no doubt be a huge box office success and will generate a lot of criticism from critics who miss the originality from the first film, but when I watched the film I just wanted something better than Part II and it succeeded so I gave it pity and enjoyed it for what it was. It's always tough to say goodbye to a series when you have grown to enjoy it so much, but luckily this film ends with a very crazy and twisted finale that perfectly suits the characters we have grown to love for their wild antics. I will miss the Wolfpack, but I will always love the memorable and funny adventures they gave me.