You can almost hear the discussion now:
"We need to print more money! Let's make another Hangover movie! We can say that it is the last in the series and we can tie everything together."
"Sounds like a great idea. Frat boys and high schoolers will eat that up! They completely bought into 'Hangover 2'. I don't know how they didn't notice that it was the same movie as 'Hangover 1' only now it took place in Bangkok."
"Yeah but who cares. As long as we can sell Wolfpack shirts and tickets we are golden!"
"We have a draft of a script. Zack Galifianakis's character is acting crazy because he is off his meds or something. The Wolfpack... Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and... uh... that other guy take him to a doctor or something."
"That doesn't sound wacky though. Can they get high or something?"
"Maybe later. I know it sounds lame but it will get crazy. Ken Jeong's character owes some mobsters some money. The mobsters kidnap... uh... the guy who got kidnapped in the first movie... and it is up to the guys to find Jeong to get him back."
"Ok. I get you. How can we compensate for the fact that Galifianakis and Cooper have risen far beyond the source material, are extremely busy, and are sick of playing these tired characters."
"We will just write more scenes with Jeong! People love his stereotypical Asian stereotype!"
"The Hangover Part III" is a cash-grab that seems rushed and like none of the actors involved wanted anything to do with it. Cooper and Galifianakis look like they would literally be anywhere else but here. Cooper hides behind glasses, no doubt so the camera can't see him rolling his eyes as he just counts his salary in his head and how it will allow him to make better films in the future. Galifianakis is playing an almost parody of the character he played in the first film. Here, he is almost reserved unless the script calls for him to say a word oddly or for him to fall into something.
The script of "Hangover Part III" almost resembles an early draft of something that was just pushed into production as fast as possible. Some have said that the somewhat more dark and less comedic nature of this script is an interesting step. If anything, the lack of comedy and laughs just shows a total failure in storyline. It is easy to write that someone gets shot and killed unexpectedly (no spoilers here). It is difficult to write interesting and funny dialogue. There is nothing even close to the Wolfpack speech of the first "Hangover". In its place are the aforementioned "Galifianakis falls into things!" "Jeong mangles the English language becauses he is an Asian stereotype!" and even several incredibly pathetic music-related laughs. Having a character play "MMMBop" by Hanson as they drive around or having a character sing "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails during karaoke is not funny. Having Jeong singing "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly while parachuting is pathetic and the fact that scene was used in the trailers should be a dead give-away at the total lack of laughs this film delivers. It is weak eye-roll inducing comedy.
The harshest complaint of "Hangover Part III" is when it wraps up the story and the series, the audience feels nothing. We don't want the story to continue. We don't care what these characters do. By this point, everyone is simply going through the motions. Nobody wants to be there and it seems that they invested more money in getting the rights to songs than they did polishing and re-writing their script. While I wasn't the biggest fan of "Hangover" and "Hangover 2", both of these films are far better. "Hangover" had some genuinely funny moments, even if they were simply Galifianakis playing a personality he'd been working on for years in stand-up. Although "Hangover 2" was very much a copy of the first film, it at least had an interesting location in China and had some dark comedy slipped in. The best element of "Hangover Part III" is probably its poster, a spoof of the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II" teaser image. This is a joke based on a movie that is two years old. Nothing about this film is fresh, interesting, or worth your time.
I can honestly say I laughed more at "Scary Movie 5". That film at least had actors and screenwriters who were going through the motions without wasting your valuable summer movie money. When the small roles (almost glorified cameos) by John Goodman and Melissa Mccarthy are the best parts of your film, you are in trouble. If you want to think fondly of the original "Hangover", stay far away from this conclusion. Just know that it is over and hopefully Galifianakis can cash his checks and return to worthwhile and interesting comedy.
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