Quite a bit different from its predecessors, and that's not a bad thing.

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2013)

2009's The Hangover was the surprise hit of that summer, and it went on to be the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all. Then in 2011 came The Hangover Part II, which wasn't boring and had a few moments but was a bit lazy. Basically, the writers assumed that audiences would be fine with watching the same movie all over again, but set in Thailand. We were not fine.
Now, two years later, we have The Hangover Part III, which is entirely different from the first two. Yet, people still hate it. I, on the other hand, am the rare person who didn't hate it.Yes, it isn't quite as funny as the original, and it is sort of missing that craziness that gave the first one energy. Instead, Part III is a funny, occasionally hilarious and still mildly wild adventure that ties the series up nicely.
This time, the movie is not centered around a wedding. Alan(Zach Galifianakis) is sort of going crazy. He is off his meds, his father (Jeffery Tambor) just died, along with a giraffe he just bought. So, his friends Phil, Stu, and Doug (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha) and family give him an intervention, and soon the Wolf Pack is on the road to a rehab center in Arizona.
But the trip comes to a halt when a gangster named Marshall (John Goodman) kidnaps Doug and forces the gang to track down Chow (Ken Jeong), who apparently owes Marshall a large amount of money. But if you know Chow, then you know that hunting him down is not as easy as it sounds.
I laughed a good bit during The Hangover Part III, but yet I did find some notable flaws. It is a little too safe, but that's fine. I admire what director Todd Philips did this time around. I realize that it truly is hard to give the people what they want. Well, screw them. I had a good time.
The Hangover Part III is just as fun as the original. But I wish there was less of Chow. In the first film, Chow was hilarious. Then by the next two movies i just got tired of him. Also, why must Justin Bartha miss out on all of the fun? Bartha, who was the comic relief in the two National Treasure movies, is actually talented. But yet in these Hangover movies they always bench him. It just sort of bothers me.
As I said, it's not as good as the first one. But it is a step-up from the uncreative second one. I thought it was a nice addition to a series that needed a boost. It's not the funniest movie of the year so far, but I liked it. Sue me, I don't care. I had a good time at The Hangover Part III.
For what it is, it' worth seeing. I'm sure that everyone else will disagree. But for the record, not every comedy has to be absolutely hilarious every twenty seconds. When people watch comedies, they over-look the actual quality of the movie itself (myself included occasionally). But with this one, I judged it from both, and both worked. See it for yourself. I liked it.
B