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The supposed final chapter of the unlikely trilogy was released nationwide on May 23,
2013 - and produced on a budget of $100 million by director Todd Phillips, returning for his
third picture. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helmes, and Zach Galifianakis are back as the wolf
pack in their most contrived adventure yet, after newcomer bad-guy John Goodman sets up
the lengthy exposition. The string of goofy hi-jinks and escapes takes us from a giraffe
beheading on the highway, to a prison escape in Bangkok, to stealing gold form a Mexican
villa to fighting with angry roosters in Tijuana, to reuniting with old friends from part I
(Heather Graham and Mike Epps), to repelling off the side of Caesar's Palace in beautiful
Las Vegas. While many of the funniest moments were ruined in the trailer, it's great to
catch up with these familiar characters, even if the extremely annoying Ken Jeong as the
foul-mouthed Asian troublemaker is an acquired taste. After his Oscar-nominated turn in "Silver
Linings Playbook", I suspect this role may now be a bit beneath Cooper, but he and the
rest of the cast all do a fine job with the outlandish material: which feels more like
a lighthearted caper picture than a true comedy. The first movie was inventive and original,
the second a shameless rehash, and the decision to do something different here is commendable,
but results in a much unfunnier vibe. Indeed, there's no actual hangover until a post-credits
sequence: and is honestly the best part of the whole R-rated movie. Because the investigation
/ heist style plot bounces around so much, the 100-minute feature isn't able to maintain
consistent pacing, or urgency. Not a film I'm dying to watch again, but certainly not
one I regret seeing: this is a decidedly average comedy that fans of Galifianakis or Jeong
will likely enjoy. But for those not amused by their unwilling criminal exploits and misadventures,
this experience feels more like a chore with likable protagonists, who are thankfully far
more redeemable than in previous installments. A quick montage at film's end is a terrific
nod to the earlier movies, and a fitting ending to the trilogy. A well-made comedy that inspires
more chuckles and smiles than actual laughter, "The Hangover Part III", is "Amusing resolution
to crazy nonsense."
As with most new releases, we don't have any audience feedback for this one, but I am scoring
"The Hangover Part III" a FIVE. If you've seen the first two, you should consider seeing
this as well. It was enjoyable, but never impressive, the text-book definition of an
ALRIGHT film.