Pretty Average Comedy (ie, Better Than Expected)

Rating: 6/10 (12 September 2011)

Despite the shameless recycling of the first movie's plot (concerning a bachelor party gone horribly wrong). The Hangover Part II proved to be just as raucously hilarious and enjoyable. This time around, it's Stew's turn to get married (to Lauren, played by an absolutely gorgeous Jamie Chung). The only thing between him and wedded bliss is an unduly hostile father-in- law, his friends' insistence on throwing him a bachelor party (which clearly worked out so well the first time around) and a sixteen hour flight to Thailand.
After a seemingly quiet bachelor party (a six-pack and a a couple bags of marshmallows by a small beach-side bonfire), the Wolfpack (sans Doug, who's brunching at the hotel after leaving the party early in the night) wakes up in sleazy Bangkok hotel. A quick survey of their surroundings shows Stew sporting a facial tattoo, a monkey dressed like a biker, Leslie Chow (the foul-mouthed Chinese criminal from the first movie) and the finger of Stew's future brother-in-law (Teddy). The rest of the movie details finding the rest of Teddy before Stew's wedding.
The most enjoyable feature of the movie was Stew himself who, in a manner rare for contemporary non-dramas (and sequels in general), is intelligently wary of bachelor parties with his friends after the events of the first movie. He adamantly declines having a bachelor party, refuses to invite Allen (until he's guilted to by a sympathetic Doug) and even goes so far as to cover his drinks with napkins and refuse to drink from unsealed containers. When Teddy first goes missing, he leads everybody to search the roof (where Doug was found at the end of the first Hangover).
Paul Giamatti lends his talents as an undercover Interpol agent and Mike Tyson (who's a less- than-talented vocalist) sings the apropos "One Night in Bangkok." Just like Part I, the movie's bisected by Stew ad-libbing a song about the events of the movie (parodying Billy Joel's "Allen Town").
Fans of the first movies should enjoy this outing equally as much while those critical of it will find Part II just as infuriating.