I can dig remakes, I can dig retakes, I can dig sequels, I can dig prequels but I can't dig easy copies... ARGH!

Rating: 6/10 (4 June 2011)

I'm not really getting Todd Phillips's intention besides getting more money. I can also dig a whole different ways to make money. I can dig remakes, I can dig retakes, I can dig sequels, I can dig prequels but I can't dig easy copies of movies you made before. Todd just did that. The ingredients to this comedy are the same.
Instead of Las Vegas you get Bangkok, instead of a bachelor party we get a... bachelor party, instead of missing Stu you get missing Teddy, instead of a lion you get a monkey, instead of a missing teeth we get a face Mike Tyson tattoo, instead of Mr. Chow confusion we get another Teddy and so on. A recycled story based on the same content as the first movie. It's the same structure and that bothers me a lot. A movie about a hangover has various options of approaching. There isn't really much to say about where the story goes and how's the journey since it's the same. Besides these problems I have another big one with Ed Helms. he just overreacted the whole movie and felt really unnatural at times. Bradley Cooper as Phil feels like he's going through straight hell acting bored like realizing he's doing the same things he did in the first movie. The real stealer of the show however is again, Zach Galifianakis. His delivery is hilarious. His jokes are straight, funny and he is involved in all the comedic situations. Short reminder: Paul Giamatti's short cameo is amazing. Simply amazing.
Overall the movie is funny, it's entertaining and it delivers a lot of laughs. Problem is you get all these jokes with a little bit of bitterness. I wish I could stop my rant and simply state things that I liked in the movie. I loved some of the landscape shots, I loved some of the locations, the decors used, the overall atmosphere... The songs used were did not have a constant good usage. It didn't matched some scenes like they did in the first movie. It is a very good directed comedy but pity that it's not at least half original. The worst part or the good part is that Todd already thought about a third movie. It's a good idea if he'll change the story and introduce new elements to it but it is an atrocious idea if it will be the same as the first two but in Paris this time...
With that said, The Hangover Part II is not really Part II but The Hangover in Bangkok. It lacks big time in originality but Zach and the funny and ridiculous moments keep you entertained and at times forget the issues the movie has.