The Hangover Part III

**
Release Date: May 24th 2013

When one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run.

Director: Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover, Due Date, The Hangover Part II)

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Melissa McCarthy

The Hangover trilogy should not be a trilogy. The outcome of part III was an outcome I'm sure we never expected. Do they forget the previous evening's events? Is their even drunken debauchery or a hangover? No is the answer.

Alan (Galifianakis) is the centre of attention in this film. After the death of Alan's father, the other guys in the Wolfpack, Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Doug (Bartha), decide to take Alan to a mental institute to deal with his health. Along the way, a gangster (Goodman) kidnaps Doug and informs the others that they need to find Mr. Chow (Jeong). He owes the gangster a big deal of money, and they're the only connection to him without causing a stir.

We spend the majority of the film following the Wolfpack on their expedition. Nothing memorable happens. There's no character development, Stu and Phil are on the sidelines, constantly behind Alan's lead. To make things worse, Mr. Chow has more screen time than the Stu and Phil. Ken Jeong's character is neither funny or likeable. This was a risky decision for Todd Phillips and his writers, and it didn't pay off. It's not Jeong's acting capability that's the issue here. It's about placing a character in the fold that's annoying and not funny at all.

No laughs come from alpha-male-turned-beta-male Phil. No laughs come from Stu, whose face remains intact this time. A few come from Alan, but he's been scripted over-the-top shenanigans. A great cameo comes from Melissa McCarthy. She breaths some much needed life into the scene she's in; picking on her mum with Alan chipping in, and the two of them sharing awkward moments is pure delight. What a shame it's short-lived.

Overview: A very disappointing ending to a trilogy. It ends just as things start to get interesting. What happens in the end credits is where the story should have begun.