The Hangover Part II Is a Night to Remember – movie review

My interest in The Hangover franchise started with a traffic jam in October 2008. Do you know what happens when a movie has clearance to close part of a freeway to film a scene, but the city in which the closure occurs isn’t properly notified and has less than a day’s notice to set up detours? What happens is a traffic jam that steals two hours of your life. So my interest in The Hangover movies is personal, because the filming literally stole part of my life. The first movie obviously numbed the pain. The sequel made me a little nervous, because what could they do in The Hangover Part II that they didn’t do in the first one? What if they not only tarnish the name of the movie but also ruin it so thoroughly I end up wanting 6 hours of my life back? My fears were unfounded, as I happened to like The Hangover Part II much better than the original.

I’m not going to lie, The Hangover Part II is repetitive. It starts the same way. It ends the same way. Much of the basic framework of the movie is identical to the first one. Chow jumps out of a confined space to attack the Wolfpack. The biggest basic difference is that they don’t lose the groom in this movie. They also don’t lose Doug again. This time around, instead of the bride’s brother being the one causing the trouble, he’s the one that’s in trouble. Oh, and he’s a 16-year-old pre-med genius college student, because nothing is more stressful than corrupting a bright, promising youth and then losing him in Bangkok.

If I recognize that the movie is repetitive, then why do I like The Hangover Part II more than the original?  Because the original didn’t cross lines like this one did. I do not want to give my favorite part away because the reveal was just too hilarious, but I will say that there’s a very special monkey in the movie. I’m not going to say why he’s special, but the monkey will make you laugh, and has a scene that will make you gasp, and then make you laugh some more. I love that monkey.

A favorite scene of mine that I will talk about is when we see what goes on inside of Alan’s head, for just a minute. I mean, you have to know, right? I think it’s absolutely adorable that as adult as Alan tries to make everyone think he is, he sees himself and his friends as children in his head. That’s no lie. You get to see some of the craziest stuff the guys do in Bangkok as if they were 12-year-old boys. It’s horrifyingly adorable, and makes so much sense.  I also like the monk that the guys apparently stole.  He doesn’t talk, but it’s obvious that he had a crazy awesome night, and he liked hanging out with the Wolfpack.

The only thing about the movie I don’t like is how forgotten the cello-playing going-to-be-a-surgeon’s finger becomes. Nobody tries to keep it on ice for him, they mention it when it’s convenient while the rest of the time just saying, “He’s hurt,” and it’s not really brought up properly when they actually find him. He’s a cello player who is going to be a surgeon. His finger might be important. But how is it summed up? “Bangkok.” I bet he hated the cello and didn’t really want to be a surgeon, but dude – you would think losing a finger might be a bigger deal than that.

Whether or not The Hangover Part II is better than the first one is a matter of opinion, but the bottom line is that it’s not a disappointing sequel. It might be framed the same, but it’s not the first movie, not in the least. It even kind of lampoons the fact that it’s a sequel. It’s a fun and enjoyable movie, and if you’re a fan of the first movie, The Hangover Part II is not going to disappoint you. And for most of you, it’s not even personal.