Movie Review: THE HANGOVER PART II
Six months into the year and I have not kept any of my New Year's resolutions... especially the one about me writing more. I could make excuses like I've been extremely busy at work... I haven't been inspired... the planets weren't in alignment.... whatever. Hell, you would have thought that there would have been a THOR movie review in me somewhere. Well... I'm back as it were and I'll do my best to write more. But, enough about that. If anyone is here, you're here to read about what I though of the movie.
There's a reason why I try to stay away from anything that is overly hyped and embraced by the populace. More often than not, I just don't get it. I'm not saying I have this highly evolved sense of humor or that I'm some sort of comedic genius. Hell, I love low-brow humor as much as the next guy. Shit... I get a rise out of almost any movie Kevin Smith makes and all he's about are dick and fart jokes. But there are times that I just wonder if I'm watching the same movie as everyone else. I just don't get it.
And so we have THE HANGOVER PART II.
I'll be honest. I didn't watch the first HANGOVER until this morning. Everyone kept saying it was the funniest movie they had seen in a long time. They said it was over-the-top and filled with so many great moments. So I watched it. And waited for those great moments they spoke of. And kept waiting.
Don't get me wrong, the move was fine. It has some funny moments... but let's be honest: the funniest movie? Not by a long shot. So much of the movie just didn't jive with me. None of the characters were particularly like-able. Hell... they were all pretty much douches. The movie was just filled with these absurd moments that, while entertaining, were not that funny.
But this isn't a review of the first HANGOVER...
Or is it?
You see... this new HANGOVER is a lot like the old HANGOVER. EXACTLY like the old one. Hell, it was the first movie all over again with the exception of the monkey. So I guess that was my problem.
THE HANGOVER PART II is filled with everything that people loved about the first movie. It's got drunken revelry. It's got gratuitous breasts. It's got gratuitous penises. Hell, it's even got people losing body parts. What's not to love?
Except I didn't love it. Hell, I barely tolerated it.
The movie is so formulaic. In fact the beats, plot points, and overall movie is essentially lifted right from the first movie. The only surprises are in finding out what troubles the Wolfpack got themselves into. And really, that's the only somewhat entertaining thing.
There really isn't much of a story to speak about here. So let's move on.
The performances were okay. Let's not fool ourselves. This isn't an Oscar-winning kind of movie. Everyone did a respectable job playing their respective roles. In fact, there were a few guys who didn't even do anything except answer the phone.
Visuals were fine. Again... nothing special.
Overall, if you were a fan of the first move, go to the theaters knowing that you're going to get everything that you enjoyed from the first film. But if you're like... you're probably better off watching something else.
OVERALL GRADE: C