They’re the three best friends that anyone could have; and they’re back to celebrate another wedding in The Hangover: Part II! This time loveable, plebeian dentist Stu (Ed Helms – The Office, The Daily Show) is marrying Lauren (Jamie Chung- Suckerpunch, Dragonball: Evolution) – the beautiful and kind-hearted followup to Stu’s She-Beast girlfriend from the previous film. After the debauchery of the previous Wolfpack bachelor pary, nothing could go wrong during a low-key night having beer on the beach, right? I mean, come on. What are the chances of a multi-person, full-on blackout state happening to the same group of people, twice? Pretty good, apparently.

This time around, Phil, Alan, and Doug are traveling to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Expecting a quiet night followed by marrying the girls of his dreams, Stu reluctantly agrees to join the guys and his fiancee’s 16 year old prodigal brother, Teddy (Mason Lee – Chosen, The Wedding Banquet) for a beer on the beach after his failed attempt at a quiet “bachelor brunch” is ridiculed by his friends. After “just one beer’ the boys wake up in the holiest of all holes-in-the-wall, in the heart of Bangkok. Even with a replica of Mike Tyson’s facial tattoo adorning half of his face, a drug-dealing monkey bouncing off of the walls, mere hours until the wedding, and no memory of the previous night’s events, the worst news is yet to come. When the guys discover that Teddy is missing, and the only answer to questions about his whereabouts is “Bangkok has him now”. The guys embark on yet another adventure to try and jog their memories about the night before, while finding Teddy in the process, in time to get Stu to the aisle.

The Hangover: Part II’s formulaic structure is nearly identical to its predeccessor: a blackout evening followed by seeking out a missing friend, mishaps and mayhem along the way, devestating, blocked memories being rehashed, and a ticking clock all make for pretty much the same film, in the more exotic and colorful locale of Thailand. Very little backstory is given as to what has happened to The Wolfpack since the last film, so roles that are not reprised (i.e Heather Graham’s appearance as stripper, Jade) are not satisfactorily explained away. But you can very rarely make thunder happen twice, and the movie was funny and genuine for what it was. Mike Tyson’s reprised role was a treat, as was seeing Ken Jeong (Community) embrace the role of the flamboyant drug underlord assisting the boys’ throughout their search, in numerous unsavory ways. A lot of the humor is great, and very on-par with the first Hangover, but admittedly, some of the jokes and mini plotlines are a little extreme for the film audiences will go into the theatre expecting to see. The extremity definitely makes for a lot of laughs, but it was surprising to see the direction a few of the familiar characters are taken on, and by the end of the film, the audience is left with a completely different impression of them. While this can be a good thing for a sequel, it didn’t really as if it fit comfortably into the structure.

Bradley Cooper (All About Steve, The A-Team) and Zach Galifianakis (Due Date, Dinner For Schmucks) reprise their roles as ex-playboy Phil and naive, ailment-riddled Alan, alongside Helms. The three have great chemistry (as was to be expected) and pull off the jokes and humor throughout the film without a hitch, as do the guest stars. All in all, it really is a funny film and worth watching. Anyone who expected a mighty rebirth and the originality of The Hangover, however, will be disappointed and won’t be holding the sequel in high regard. Go into the film with the right expectations, and you will definitely leave satisfied.

ComicsOnline gives The Hangover: Part II – 3.5 out of 5 drunken nights that deserved a sequel.

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