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Yes, if: You loved the first one and want more of the same formula, but edgier and with a Thailand backdrop. You enjoy Ken Jeong unleashed. No, if: You’re sensitive to body horror, animal cruelty (even simulated), or cultural stereotypes. You found the first film’s structure already wearing thin. One of the most controversial elements of The Hangover Part 2 was the "Mike Tyson" moment replacement. In the first film, the surprise was a tiger in the bathroom and a stolen Mike Tyson’s pet. Here, the surprise is a full-face tattoo that looks like a Botched Chemical Peel mixed with a treasure map. Ed Helms spent four hours in the makeup chair daily for the "tattoo," which becomes a brilliant running gag. It ensures Stu cannot return to his normal life as a respectable dentist. It externalizes his internal panic. Then there is the reveal of the stripper. In a gag that requires total suspension of disbelief, we learn that Stu had sex with a Thai prostitute (Yasmin Lee, a real-life trans performer). While the joke is handled relatively progressively for 2011 (Stu’s horror is about the cheating, not the gender), it remains a time capsule of early-2010s humor. The twist is the best part. Unlike the first film where Doug is found on the roof, here, the Wolfpack realizes that Teddy has been with them the whole time. He was never kidnapped. He accidentally shot himself with a flare gun, and they took him to a hospital. The "kidnapping" was a cover-up by the police chief to extort the family. The actual missing person? Chow. He is hiding in the duffel bag they’ve been carrying for two hours, handcuffed to the severed finger. It’s a triple-layered rug-pull that rewards attentive viewers. | Aspect | Hangover (2009) | Hangover Part II | |--------|----------------|------------------| | Setting | Las Vegas | Bangkok & Phuket | | Tone | Surreal & funny | Darker, meaner, grosser | | Originality | Fresh | Formulaic (by design) | | Shock value | High | Higher (maybe too high) | | Best cameo | Mike Tyson | Nick Cassavetes (director cameo) | The Wolfpack — Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug — head to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Despite Stu’s insistence on a safe, low-key rehearsal dinner, the gang wakes up in a seedy Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the night before, missing a key person (again), and facing even more dangerous and absurd consequences. Two years after the events of the first film, Stu Price (Ed Helms) is preparing to marry Lauren (Jamie Chung) in Thailand. Reluctant to invite the chaotic Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) to the wedding, Stu eventually agrees to include him, along with Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Doug Billings (Justin Bartha). During a bonfire the night before the wedding, the group—together with Lauren’s younger brother, Teddy—consumes marshmallows. They wake up the next morning in a seedy Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the previous night. Doug is safe at the resort, but Teddy is missing, and Stu has a facial tattoo identical to Mike Tyson's. Joined by the gangster Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), the group must navigate the criminal underworld of Bangkok to find Teddy and return for the wedding. Approx. 1 hour 42 minutes |
The Hangover Part 2Yes, if: You loved the first one and want more of the same formula, but edgier and with a Thailand backdrop. You enjoy Ken Jeong unleashed. No, if: You’re sensitive to body horror, animal cruelty (even simulated), or cultural stereotypes. You found the first film’s structure already wearing thin. One of the most controversial elements of The Hangover Part 2 was the "Mike Tyson" moment replacement. In the first film, the surprise was a tiger in the bathroom and a stolen Mike Tyson’s pet. Here, the surprise is a full-face tattoo that looks like a Botched Chemical Peel mixed with a treasure map. Ed Helms spent four hours in the makeup chair daily for the "tattoo," which becomes a brilliant running gag. It ensures Stu cannot return to his normal life as a respectable dentist. It externalizes his internal panic. The Hangover Part 2 Then there is the reveal of the stripper. In a gag that requires total suspension of disbelief, we learn that Stu had sex with a Thai prostitute (Yasmin Lee, a real-life trans performer). While the joke is handled relatively progressively for 2011 (Stu’s horror is about the cheating, not the gender), it remains a time capsule of early-2010s humor. The twist is the best part. Unlike the first film where Doug is found on the roof, here, the Wolfpack realizes that Teddy has been with them the whole time. He was never kidnapped. He accidentally shot himself with a flare gun, and they took him to a hospital. The "kidnapping" was a cover-up by the police chief to extort the family. The actual missing person? Chow. He is hiding in the duffel bag they’ve been carrying for two hours, handcuffed to the severed finger. It’s a triple-layered rug-pull that rewards attentive viewers. Yes, if: You loved the first one and | Aspect | Hangover (2009) | Hangover Part II | |--------|----------------|------------------| | Setting | Las Vegas | Bangkok & Phuket | | Tone | Surreal & funny | Darker, meaner, grosser | | Originality | Fresh | Formulaic (by design) | | Shock value | High | Higher (maybe too high) | | Best cameo | Mike Tyson | Nick Cassavetes (director cameo) | The Wolfpack — Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug — head to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Despite Stu’s insistence on a safe, low-key rehearsal dinner, the gang wakes up in a seedy Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the night before, missing a key person (again), and facing even more dangerous and absurd consequences. Two years after the events of the first film, Stu Price (Ed Helms) is preparing to marry Lauren (Jamie Chung) in Thailand. Reluctant to invite the chaotic Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) to the wedding, Stu eventually agrees to include him, along with Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Doug Billings (Justin Bartha). You found the first film’s structure already wearing thin During a bonfire the night before the wedding, the group—together with Lauren’s younger brother, Teddy—consumes marshmallows. They wake up the next morning in a seedy Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the previous night. Doug is safe at the resort, but Teddy is missing, and Stu has a facial tattoo identical to Mike Tyson's. Joined by the gangster Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), the group must navigate the criminal underworld of Bangkok to find Teddy and return for the wedding. Approx. 1 hour 42 minutes |
