BEFORE: I've got a good run of films this week from 2012 and 2013. And Ed Helms carries over from "We're The Millers", into the OTHER film from 2013 that's about people traveling down to Mexico for illicit reasons. Let's just acknowledge right now that Bradley Cooper's had a pretty good run during the last couple of years.
FOLLOW-UP TO: "The Hangover Part II" (Movie 1,285)
AFTER: Well, really society is to blame for this one. The audience obviously came out in droves to support "The Hangover" Parts 1 + 2, so completing the trilogy probably seemed like a no-brainer. Yes, I can confirm no brains were used in the decision-making process while producing this film.
Like "This Is 40", this film also features toxic characters who manage to screw up every situation they touch, but at least here that's used for maximum comic effect. When you see these four guys set out on a road trip, you just KNOW something (everything) is about to go horribly wrong, because that's what worked twice before.
This time the minor villain character from the previous films, Mr. Chow, takes center stage as the main adversary, and another gangster/thief/drug mogul is added to the mix as well. So there are elements here of a classic "heist" film, and those almost always appeal to me, while still retaining the feel of the first two films. And really, the first "Hangover" set the new standard in modern filmmaking for one of these filled-to-the-brim random subplot comedies. Throw in a baby, or a monkey, an exotic setting like Las Vegas or Thailand, some drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and a celebrity or two. It's almost like Hollywood producers started playing "Mad Libs" a few years ago to come up with their plots, or there's a giant wheel of plot elements somewhere that studio executives spin as needed.
I kind of wish that it wasn't always the SAME member of the Wolf Pack who ends up missing or kidnapped. There are FOUR main characters, so either this guy just has the worst luck of the bunch, or we have to acknowledge that it's the names of the other three guys on the marquee that are putting asses in the seats.
I think it's acceptable to expect diminishing returns with every sequel film in a series - however, if you feel that this film didn't go far enough with its outrageous ideas, then just keep watching for an additional scene during the credits. However, if you're quite satisfied with the film up until that point, then just don't watch the credits, because then you might feel like they've taken things a bit too far. However, no matter how you slice it, the film is forced to go to more outlandish lengths each time it needs its characters to wake up in a hotel room, surrounded by strange animals and sex toys, with no memory of what's taken place the night before. You'd think some of these characters would eventually learn their lesson, but I could say the same thing about the moviegoing audience.
Also starring Bradley Cooper (last seen in "Limitless"), Zach Galifianakis (last seen in "The Campaign"), Justin Bartha (last seen in "The Hangover Part II"), Ken Jeong (last seen in "Zookeeper"), John Goodman (last heard in "Monsters University"), with cameos from Melissa McCarthy (last seen in "This Is 40"), Jeffrey Tambor (last seen in "Pollock"), Heather Graham (last seen in "Lost in Space"), Mike Epps.
RATING: 5 out of 10 hotel sheets
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