Hanging Around

The Hangover was a film that came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest comedies of all time.  Deservedly. It was hilarious and also managed to be sweet no matter how wild or raunchy the proceedings got.  Than came the sequel, which was also a gigantic worldwide hit but, as a beat-by-beat remake, and with a much nastier tone, squandered away most of the good will of the first.

So now we have the third film in the series.  With much less good will, and a horrible product, its grosses are way down. But that still doesn't explain A.A. Dowd's weird review at the A.V. Club.  Here's how it starts:

Setting aside the rampant sexism, broad racial caricatures, and unfunny Mike Tyson cameos, the most irksome thing about the Hangover films may be the gimmick that drives them. What could be less exciting and less cinematic than three hapless dudes spending an entire movie being told about the mischief they got into the night before? (No surprise that the photo montages during the end credits, which deliver a few glimpses of genuine naughtiness, earn the biggest laughs.)

If you're offended by the (alleged) sexism, caricatures and Mike Tyson performance of the first film, should you be anywhere near a review of The Hangover? You're constitutionally unable to enjoy it even if it's good.

But Dowd is a worse critic than that.  Dowd apparently is a master plotter who figures a film of guys getting drugged, followed by a couple hours of debauchery, would be hilarious.  Can't Dowd understand the brilliance of the first movie's plot?  It's not just another raunch-com, it's a comedy with a whodunnit propelling the plot forward.  We're in the same place as the Wolfpack as they've got one day to unravel what happened last night and figure out where their friend is, all while they keep getting deeper and deeper in trouble.

And the photos at the end are the icing on the cake.  The film has already worked--gotten plenty of laughs (just as big as the photos get)--and now we get this bonus.  And it's not the audience saying "oh boy, some naughtiness, that's what makes us laugh"--it's finally finding out what we missed, knowing what we do about the characters and their plight, that makes it work.

Here's how Dowd ends the piece:

[Zach Galifianakis's] shtick still works, even as seeing the character win over a lady—any lady—is about as believable as [director Todd] Phillips’ claims that this will be the last Hangover movie.

Considering how poorly the third film is doing, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the last in the series, no matter what Todd Phillips wants or doesn't want.