An adventure thriller masquerading as the third Hangover

Rating: Null/10 (26 May 2013)

If you stayed away from the news on it, (like I did) then fans of the raunchy comedy series (like myself) may find it a bit surprising that this installment plays more like Lethal Weapon than Old School. Director Todd Phillips built himself up on films like the aforementioned Will Ferrell vehicle, as well as the original Hangover and Road Trip. However, instead of going the "more of the same" route that was used on The Hangover II, he veers off the beaten path. He deviates from the backtrack formula that help make the first film and, to a somewhat lesser extent the second, so successful. Yes, Doug does get kidnapped again, but the rest is unlike the familiar drug induced forays.
Instead, the final product is an amalgam of genres; becoming part gangster, part heist, part mystery and part chase. The disappointing thing is that a lot of laughs seem to have been lost along the way. This time around, the gang goes looking for Leslie Chow at the request of a crime figure named Marshall. Once a throwaway mention in The Hangover, He emerges here to reveal that Chow stole half of the take in a gold heist to tune of $20 million or so. On cue, he keeps Doug as collateral and orders The Wolfpack to bring back Chow and the money or their friend gets it. Double crosses ensue, f-bombs fly and things end where they all began.
My biggest grip with The Hangover II was the shift in tone and darker humor. Yes, the first had some pretty sick humor as well, but it never came off as mean spirited. It was good, clean (subjective, I know) fun. The second sucked a lot of that fun out of things with the shootings, missing fingers and FBI busts. This is the nail in the coffin. This movie is devoid of almost all of the silly magic that made the first one click. It pans out more like an action thriller with some attempted laughs peppered in because, oh yeah, that's kind of what the core audience came for. It's as if it forgets to be funny sometimes amidst the chase sequences. People die and get killed. Innocent animals get killed. Heck, even Alan has become more jerk than lovable goofball. Where did the fun go? There's not even a "hangover", for goodness sakes. Not even the injection of the female Zach Galifianakis (a perfectly casted cameo by Melissa McCarthy) helps shine light down this film's dark tunnel.
Jeong and Galifianakis trade off the best lines in what would have probably been better suited as a Hangover spin off. Perhaps, The Chow Adventures: The Hangover Continues. I will give Todd Phillips a hand here for his directing. This might lead to him getting big budget action jobs because he handled himself quite well here. It's just that the twisty-turns seem better for an Ashley Judd flick than the brain scrambled antics of the beloved Wolfpack. If you're looking for laughs that match the first outing or even the second, you'll be sorely disappointed. However, if you're looking for a movie that ties up some loose ends, features a few good quirky comedy bits and some entertaining set pieces then The Hangover III might be your cup of tea. Even if it is a bit bitter.