The Hangover: Part III: Movie Review

The Hangover: Part III: Movie Review

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, Heather Graham
Director: Todd Phillips

The Wolf Pack is back - for the final time.

And it looks like everyone is along for the ride.

When Alan's father dies, the group gathers for the funeral, but they feel that Alan's behaviour, now he's off his meds, warrants taking him to a treatment centre for some of his problems.

But, as ever, when the Wolf Pack is back, there's nothing but chaos.

On the way to the hospital, they're attacked by John Goodman's gangster Marshall, who wants to track down Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) who has stolen millions from him. Nonplussed as to what that has to do with them, the Wolfpack realise that Galifianakis' Alan has been in touch with Chow while he's been in jail in Thailand.

And when Marshall kidnaps Doug (Bartha) after Chow breaks out, the pressure's on....once again. Only this time, failure could prove deadly.

Bigger, brasher, darker and perhaps a little less funny than what you'd be expecting for the Wolfpack, there's certainly a feeling of the epic here as the gang rolls out one last time in the latest Hangover movie.

It's definitely not a film which is a rehash of what's gone before - in fact, if anything, it's more of a heist movie with lashings of psychosis and oddballs throughout. Mainly in part due to Ken Jeong's Chow getting a lot more screentime and going OTT than he has done in previous Hangovers. And whether you'll enjoy this, is largely dependant  on how you feel about the character, because there's less humour between the group and if anything, more drama as it unfolds with a ticking deadline looming.

Tonally, it's a bit of an odd mix as the film starts off with a slightly loopy attitude with Alan causing a pile-up due to decapitating his giraffe. But then, it shifts into a film with more darkness and surreal depth than previous ones as Alan's father's offed and he offers a eulogy of delusion, the gang gets together to intervene as Alan's off his meds and the group are kidnapped.

It's here you start to get the feeling that the bell is knelling for the last time - as callbacks and characters from the other films are thrown in for good measure. Even the baby from the first film is given his time back in the spotlight.

The group works well together - Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms have a great bond and chemistry as Phil, Alan and Stu which transcends the usual buddy schtick as the demented road trip cum heist movie plays out. If anything, Jeong stands out a little within this dynamic and Goodman offers little but rather annoyed mobster. It's only really Galifianakis' character who, despite being idiocy incarnate, manages some vestiges of growing up - albeit it in a rather childish way. Though his flirtation with Melissa McCarthy's pawn shop worker is quite something to behold.

That's not to say that The Hangover: Part III is not without laughs and some good set-ups and set pieces. the final sequence at Las Vegas' Caears' Palace conveys all the sleaze and discomfort you'd expect from the group returning back to the scene of a crime from years ago. It's a natural conclusion for the film and the franchise - toning down the gross out humour and excesses of the Thailand adventure may be a benefit to those watching this time around, though you do feel some will want for more laughs as the madcap journey runs on.

Overall, The Wolf Pack is worth running with one last time for a sort of road trip - but don't be surprised if you have a feeling this threequel disappoints slightly as a darker piece plays out.

(It's also worth sticking around for the credits of the film as well - given there's an extra sequence, which really does hark back to how The Hangover made its cinematic contribution. And it's certainly a few minutes which make you feel there could have been a little more of them peppered throughout the movie.)

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