The Hangover Part III
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, Melissa McCarthy, Jeffrey Tambour, Heather Graham, Mike Epps
Directed by Todd Phillips
Rated: R
Run Time: 100 mins
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Opens May 23rd
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! The Wolfpack is back in the third installment in "The Hangover" Saga, and it's time to wrap up loose ends. How does it fare to the previous two films? Read on to find out...
When we last saw Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galafianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha), the guys were in Thailand for Stu's wedding where insanity ensued once again, only with darker deeds. Since that time, Alan has gotten off his meds; he caused a multi-car pileup on a major California highway, resulting in his father having a heart attack and sudden death.
At the insistence of Alan's family, Phil, Stu and Doug assemble to stage an intervention to bring Alan to a "rehab" facility in Arizona. Along the way, their vehicle is intercepted by Las Vegas mobster, Marshall (John Goodman); blackmailing the men into finding another infamous character from the previous films, Mr. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong).
A while back Chow stole millions in gold bars from Marshall, and he wants it all back. He figures the only ones that can find Chow are members of the Wolfpack, so he kidnaps Doug as an insurance policy and gives them men a few days to track down Chow and deliver the gold, or Doug will die.
In a race against time, countries and reviving a few ghosts from the past, will the men of the Wolfpack meet their demise or somehow come out on top?
If you're expecting the same formula of the previous two films you will be surprised to find that this latest rendition in the Hangover films follows more of an action/comedy format such as "Lethal Weapon" or "Beverly Hills Cop". Part Three is not as humorous as the first but is a vast improvement from Part Two that it makes it worth watching to see how they wrap up all the story lines from the first & second films. Alan (Zach Galifianakis) takes the lead in this film leaving Phil (Bradley Cooper) & Stu (Ed Helms) in more of supporting roles. It works to a point, but it's hard to top the magic of the first film as it was fresh, unique content that was nothing but surprises at every turn. For the films that followed, the expectation for over the top humor was too high, resulting in minimalistic jokes, gags and darkly disgusting compromising situations, which fall flat. You be the judge when “The Hangover Part III” opens nationwide starting Thursday May 23, 2013.
