Well, if it had come first, it could have been the funnier of the two. This is because aside from being in Thailand and a lot of “how did this happen again?!?!?!?” jokes, it was… exactly the same as the first one.
My favorite character in the first one was Doug (Justin Bartha). He’s less of an asshat than the others, and I have a funny soft spot for him since he’s the awkward nerdy one that makes National Treasure worth watching when my father puts it on the television for the twelfth time. I didn’t realize that he was even going to be in this one, as he wasn’t present in any of the articles; I’d originally thought that he should get to be along for the adventure this time. But when he was there, just back at the hotel being their cell phone communicator man, I realized why I love him the most.
Because he is not an idiot.
Because he is not willing to do stupid things.
Because he knows when to call it quits and say good night.
Because he is practical.
Because he loves his wife.
Because he is a decent human being.
Sure, that maybe wouldn’t be the most exciting or hilarious movie, a movie about a levelheaded guy who doesn’t drink too much and likes spending time with his wife just hanging out and watching TV and being the one that the other crazy ones call on the phone when they need help. But it’s a movie I’d honestly rather watch. Compared to a lot of what gets made nowadays, it would be downright refreshing.
The other character I sort of liked was Teddy (Mason Lee), the overachieving super-Asian pre-med cellist brother. Probably because I didn’t for a second believe he was only sixteen IRL, and therefore didn’t feel too creepy acknowledging that I generally find cellos and doctors sorta… well. But, of course, he was the Doug of this movie structure-wise, so they spent the entire time looking for him while he was stuck in the ice… closet? Sans finger? (Is it weird that I actually had the conscious thought that it would actually make his cello playing sexier if he worked it sans a finger? Is it weird that I actually thought the word “sans”?)
So basically, it was two hours of bad decisions. It was two hours of Alan (Zach Galifinakis) playing The Zach Galifinakis Character, doing that Idiot Manchild routine that I am getting super sick of. It was two hours of Stu (Ed Helms) making a lot of O_o faces. It was two hours of Phil (Bradley Cooper) attempting to seem like the “cool” one. (And he was being a complete baby about that gunshot wound. It was just a graze, would hardly have done anything, and besides, even if it had been a more serious hit, it was just his arm. It wouldn’t have killed him.)
I was sort of wondering what in the hell happened to Jade (Heather Graham). I mean, I didn’t really expect the dentist and the stripper’s drunken marriage to work out or anything, but I wanted to at least know a little of what had happened. I wanted to know how he met Lauren (Jamie Chung). I wanted to know why the hell Lauren wanted to marry him, other than the fact that her dad seemed to object. When Phil, I believe it was, described Lauren as an angel, I was just going, yes. Yes she is. So why is she marrying into… this?
I spent about half of the film, too, asking myself, “how does anyone believe it’s okay to behave like this?” I have no problem suspending disbelief about dimensional differences; if the movie has demons, it’s set in a world with demons, rockin’. I can accept the parameters of its universe and as long as it doesn’t waver around too much I’m good with it. But The Hangover films take place in what is presumably our dimension. And so I have to acknowledge that all of the characters behave in a way that is completely unrealistic. Actually, Tracy (Sasha Barresse), Doug’s wife, behaves pretty realistically. Because I’m sorry, but in this situation? WTFFFFF is an appropriate response. But the rest of them…
Especially Alan. I’m honestly just surprised that he’s gotten this far in life without getting either institutionalized, shot, or institutionalized and then shot. I do not grasp how someone that ridiculous could function in society.
Sigh. I think it’s just getting tired. I think I’m just sort of over modern comedies for a little while.
–your fangirl heroine.
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