The Hangover 3: Review

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, John Goodman, Ken Jeong, Melissa McCarthy (Rated MA – 100 minutes).

In The Hangover: Part 3, forget about self preservation, as with the previous Hangover instalments. Put aside any sense of decorum or politically correct dignity you may have, this is no different and by far the most offensive. Luckily the reckless comedy is actually (mostly) hilarious, pushing the envelope beyond any kind of normal humour, intent on relentless gross out moments or sudden hysteria.

This time around the ‘Wolfpack’, as the boys have become known, are concerned for their founding member, Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Already on ‘certain’ medication after the death of his father, Alan suffers with grief in his own unusual way, so Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) suggest he may need psychiatric treatment. The intervention seemed to go well and a road trip to the hospital is embarked on, however as you may imagine, things go wayward from the beginning.

After a tip off, the boys are hunted down and run off the highway by a criminal element with only one thing on their mind, the location of Mr. Chow. There is controversy right there! To put his stamp of authority on the situation, the gang kidnap Doug demanding the others to find and present Mr. Chow in exchange for the release of their mate. What follows is another trip to Vegas where the mayhem all began. Sin city has an effect like no other on these three in the funniest way possible.

While still remaining unpredictable, everything that can go wrong does, or at least in a different direction creating unstable strain on relationships. Furthering the warped situation, inebriation and substance consumption is again on the agenda. Unlikely animal involvement is back, previously a tiger and a monkey were part of the shenanigans, nothing is sacred to get a laugh, including a giraffe and chickens. Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow is crazy funny, the uproarious life of the party. He is a crude character with many unspeakable qualities. Also returning is Heather Graham as Jade (mother of the sunglasses-wearing baby in the original) and Jamie Chung who made an impact during their Thailand adventure as Lauren.

Chemistry between the main trio is classic, in perfect tune with each other’s comical timing, However Alan still manages to be the embarrassing standout. The bearded Galifianakis is one of those rare risk-taking breed of farcical actors. Put him opposite Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) and it’s a match made in uncomfortable comedy heaven.

© Shane A. Bassett

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