Yes, at first glance, it seems like the story is the same as the original: the members of the Wolfpack travel to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. His father-in-law doesn’t think much of him as he clearly demonstrates in a rehearsal dinner that is one of the highlights of the film and, still scarred by their ‘adventure’ in Las Vegas, Stu doesn’t want anything to ruin the occasion. When he reluctantly agrees to have one drink with his friends, mayhem strikes again and, the next morning, everything has gone terrible wrong; they can’t remember what happened, but they must find Stu’s soon-to-be brother-in-law before the wedding.
Phillips and his new writers Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong identified the formula that worked so well the first time, and although the structure is very similar, they were able to come up with even more outrageous and shocking situations that push the characters to new limits. We won’t spoil any of those moments, but suffice to say there’s no time for boredom.
It also helps that the personalities of the leading trio were so well defined in the original film, and Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and the breakout star of the series, Zach Galifianakis, slip comfortably back into their roles, exploiting their best and worst qualities. Galifianakis manages to make his ‘stay-at-home son’ more annoying than ever, but also endearing, infusing him with the humanity that an R-rated comedy always needs.
Ken Jeong’s ‘gangsta’ Mr. Chow is back with an extended role and slightly overstays his welcome, but his participation is still better than cast additions such as Paul Giamatti, who’s given very little material to work with; it would have been better to have an unknown actor than to add a big name in a role that contributes so little.
If this sequel is successful, it would be no surprise if the Wolfpack had a third crazy hangover night; perhaps next time Allan will be the one tying the knot?
Summary: Hangovers never felt as good as this.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Miguel Gonzales