'Hangover' Finale Completely Wasted Without the Morning-After Mysteries

The Wolfpack and Mr. Chow are in the heart of Tijuana for the third and final installment 

While completely absent of any ridiculously inebriated bachelor parties or morning-after mysteries, it's a wonder how The Hangover Part III even wears that title with pride. Four years ago, Todd Phillips' The Hangover shocked audiences and critics alike becoming not only the undisputed breakout film of that summer, but earned a grander accolade as the highest grossing R-rated comedy to date.

After a series of déjà-vu incidents in the heart of Bangkok, Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) get mixed up in the affairs of effeminate international criminal Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who stole $21 million in gold bars from mob leader Marshall (John Goodman). With their friend Doug (Justin Bartha) used as Marshall's leverage, the Wolfpack are on a hunt for Chow, ultimately leading them back to where the whole saga started, Sin City.

At this point in the franchise, it's clear that The Hangover Part III is riding the success of the first two films and putting the maximum effort into sending this trilogy off with a bang wasn't worth the trouble. After going the Home Alone 2 route with 2011's The Hangover Part II, director Todd Phillips listened to the audiences, whose biggest gripe with the film was the rehash vibe that simply swapped out Las Vegas for Bangkok. But without the fun of the mystery and a pack of guys being just being immature wasted guys, The Hangover Part III suffers from its own series of sequel mishaps.

What made the first Hangover movie work was the chemistry, which is still remains present, the juvenile comedy and the zany plot working backwards to undercover the most asinine weave of events compressed in a few short hours. The Hangover Part III lacks those final two elements restricting it from being as equally developed as the first two chapters.

Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis know the characters flat, however the dry screenplay offers very few opportunities to break out of a serious action adventure mold. Galifianakis' Alan has changed for the worst. Even his first scene is him unintentionally killing a horribly CGI giraffe on a freeway. Once a loveable manchild, his actions towards Stu and Phil easily cross over into jerk territory. Cooper and Helms have their occasional moments of being downright ridiculous, but the glaring edge to The Hangover Part III doesn't make the situation any better.

Random gags are thrown in here and there to remind audiences that this is more than another Hangover movie in just name only, but they come and go so quickly, there's little time to actually invest in the crazy ordeals transpiring onscreen.

That's not to say that The Hangover Part III crashes and burns on its own accord. Ken Jeong's out-of-control Mr. Chow eats up much more screen time this time around and while he's still considered to be an international criminal, Jeong keeps the comedic momentum in check. Whether it be escaping a Bangkok prison ala The Shawshank Redemption or gliding above the Vegas strip singing "I Believe I Can Fly," Chow takes center stage expanding upon his side character shtick. Unlike Galifianakis' character who outwears his welcome within the first few minutes after animal cruelty and blasting boy band Hanson from his car speakers, Jeong outperforms his fellow co-stars and keeps raising the bar of ludicrousness even higher.

John Goodman doesn't have much to work with as mob leader Marshall, though for the little screen time he's given, he's noted as the franchise's first concrete antagonist. Melissa McCarthy joins the cast as Cassie, a Vegas pawn shop employee, who lends a few minutes of screen time with Galifianakis, sparking an  awkward impromptu romantic connection.

It's no secret that director Todd Phillips was stuck between appeasing the disappointed fans of The Hangover Part II and trying to maintain the high-concept integrity of this hair-brained franchise. The result is a conclusion that came up short of expectations, but still should be commended for attempting a different direction to end the series.

The few throwbacks to the original film shed some additional light on the hows and whys that were briefly glanced over and force an unneeded full-circle resolution to fill between gaps in The Hangover Part III's dark adventure.  

The Hangover Part III adds little to an already successful franchise that was never broke to begin with, but by taking a more serious action-packed direction, this was the inevitable lackluster alternative for the anti-Part II crowd.

GRADE: C (5/10)