The Hangover Part 2

So I finally managed to see The Hangover Part 2 this weekend, and my short review is: SEE THIS MOVIE! If you enjoyed the first one, you'll find this one utterly hilarious. Yes, the story is essentially the same, but the gags and jokes aren't simply rehashed from the original. I thought it was really, really funny and well worth a theater viewing. Also, how about Jamie Chung? The only time I had ever seen her before were the commercials for Sucker Punch, which I didn't see despite my crush on Vanessa Hudgens. But she appears in this movie as Stu's bride-to-be, and holy hell was she smoking! She alone might be worth the price of admission.

Click the link below for my only two complaints about the movie. They include some spoilers, for those of you who wish to go into the movie fresh.

Continue reading "The Hangover Part 2"....

My first complaint is a pretty simple one: they completely gloss over the fact that Teddy's finger has been severed and is missing, eliminating any possibility of reattachment. I don't know if the guy is just a terrible actor or if the character is just extremely awkward, but Teddy's reaction to his finger getting cut off was the same as his reaction to meeting everybody at the airport which was the same as his reaction to getting offered a beer on the beach. He was just constantly laid back and uncomfortable, no matter the situation.

But even if we excuse his non-reaction to bad acting or social anxieties, NONE of the characters seemed all that bothered by the fact that he no longer had a finger. Did his sister, the bridge, seem to care? No. And sure, his father mentioned it, but he was accepting Stu as a suitable groom seconds later.

I'd like to think that he couldn't handle the pressure of being a child prodigy, but even so, does that outweigh the negatives of living your life without a finger?

My second problem with the movie was that, to me, it couldn't end "happily." At the end of The Hangover, it seemed that their wild adventure resulted in some unique new friendships, as well as an appreciation for achieving our own happiness. So everything they went through seemed worth it. But at the beginning of this movie, we learned that the rest of the group completely wrote off Alan, and in fact they were quite traumatized by what had occurred in the first film. Alan was back to being a lone wolf, so it seemed like the only truly good thing that came from it was that Stu got out of an abusive relationship.

So, to me, it just felt like these trials and tribulations would not result in some deeper, character building appreciation for life and friendship. And that made their obstacles seem a little less enjoyable.

But, again, these two criticism (while lengthy in explanation) in no way really took away from the hilarity of the film. So, again, SEE IT!