The Hangover: Part III

No Hangover Here

Courtesy of Youtube

The Wolfpack gets sucked back into their usual antics in The Hangover: Part III

I firmly believe that slapstick can only take a comedy movie so far, which is partially why I didn't fall head over heels for the first two Hangover movies, to the absolute shock of my peers. Call me crazy, but I don't find naked Chinese men jumping out of trunks or finger amputations that funny. What I do find funny, and worthy of a positive review, is comedy resulting from smart writing, which then leads to comedic situations. The Hangover: Part III is probably the most dialogue-driven of the trilogy, and by my standards, potentially the funniest entry. 

In the (supposedly) final film in the Wolfpack trilogy, Alan's erratic and uncontrollable behavior cause his friends and family to intervene and send him off to a psychological rehab center. En route, the four friends are ambushed by Marshall (John Goodman), who had $21 million in gold stolen from him by Leslie Chow. Marshall and his men kidnap Doug (poor Justin Bartha, he never sees much screen time in these movies) and agree to return him to the Wolfpack in exchange for Chow. Here, we see the first improvement from the first sequel - it doesn't just re-hash the original. There's a completely new plot and objective than waking up hungover and looking for a missing person.

My reason for believing that the first Hangover movie isn't as phenomenal as most make it out to be is one thing - Alan. Remove Alan from the Hangover franchise, and what's left? Nothing very notable. After two movies hinging on the offbeat Indiana Jones fan, The Hangover: Part III finally finds a perfect balance of Alan and the other characters. Sure, he's still the center of the comedy (as he should be, Zach Galifianakis is brilliant), but there's a much more solid balance. Furthermore, Galifianakis gives his best performance to date in this movie.

The script impressively wraps up the story of the Wolfpack, tying in key plot points and characters from the first and second movies. The jokes throughout were among the best of the trilogy, making this the first Hangover movie I'd be excited to watch again in the near future. Keep in mind, this film still is a buddy comedy reliant on screwball antics, and is nowhere near groundbreaking in its genre. It's essentially a compilation of occasionally recycled jokes employed by some of comedy's most iconic characters. Having said that, The Hangover: Part III made me laugh more than any other new film this year. 

There's no intoxication. There's no (non-prescribed) drugs. There's no naked Chinamen. Just smart writing and hilarious performances. In several ways, The Hangover: Part III is the best of the trilogy.

Rating: 4/5