1595 - The Hangover: Part II

I'm coming to this a tad later than the populous.  And I have to say that I'm a little confused as to why so many people are slamming this film.  First off, granted, the first one didn't need a sequel - but when it made the kind of money that it did, what did we expect?  I mean, come on.  So the fact that this one took from the structure of the first should be no great surprise.  And there's beauty to that idea - are these three guys in the same situation as before?  Yes.  But are they the same guys?  No.  They've been through this - they're older, wiser, etc...
The first act of this film drove me a little nuts.  Zach G isn't someone I love or hate, but I found that the set-up and rationale of getting him into the film was a bit much.  I felt that the entire set-up was a bit convoluted, but I'll let that slide.  I didn't love this film by any means, but I certainly laughed out loud at parts, and that itself is worth the price of admission.  There are some wonderfully shocking things going on here, and some really fun moments.  I personally loved the bit where we learn that Alan sees himself and all his "friends" as teenagers.  One thing that was weird to me was the Paul Giamati role - kind of a waste of a solid actor if you ask me. 
So if you loved the first film you should enjoy this one - if you automatically want to avoid it because it's "too much like the original" then you're probably making the wise choice.  No one wants people to bitch and moan about the obvious.  Like I said, not a great film, but it kept me entertained with a consistent chuckle and a few random laugh out loud moments.  And Todd Phillips, in case you were wondering, you don't need a third film in this series. 
The Hangover 2