People Who Matter:
Bradley Cooper: Phil
Ed Helms: Stu
Zack Galifiankis: Alan
Justin Bartha: Doug
Here we go again. Seeing as how the first film came out of nowhere and grossed $485 million, it was only a matter of time before a sequel hit. Hollywood is a numbers game, after all. Now, what needs to be addressed early and often, especially with this type of sequel, is that there's not going to be anything new except for the jokes. Those expecting an entirely new story were obviously looking for an entirely new movie. The biggest surprise in this one is that it somehow managed to slip away with just an R rating, and that's not a joke. There is some crazy stuff in this one, stuff that makes Alan's elevator fellatio seem like the opening sequence to the new SpongeBob SquarePants movie.
Usually, I spend this time discussing the plot... but if you've seen the first one (which, let's be honest, you have and you laughed your ass off) you know the story. The movie opens with Phil (Cooper) making that dreaded wedding day phone call that doesn't even come as a shock to the person on the other end. Then the movie backs it up a few weeks, where we learn Stu (Helms) is getting married to Lauren (Jamie Chung) soon, and he wants needs it to go off without a hitch because Lauren's dad is a dick and he hates Stu. So, Stu logically wants to keep Alan completely out of the picture (unsuccessfully), and wants to have a "bachelor brunch" at IHOP instead of an actual bachelor party. Of course, Phil would never let that happen, and as soon as they get to Thailand, he talks Stu into one beer on the beach with his boys. They make jokes about how the beers are sealed and they aren't going to get roofied. Yeah... about that, guys.
Speaking of roofies, Alan, who was probably my favorite character throughout both films, returns as his usual crazy self. We first see him in his room, barking orders to his mom through a speaker system about his lunch. He describes himself as a "stay-at-home-son" and has pictures of their escapades in Vegas blown up and plastered around his bedroom. Clearly, that was the best time he's ever had in his life and he was extremely upset that Stu didn't want him to go to his wedding. The boys feel bad and invite him, despite everyone's misgivings, to which he immediately gives himself medical care that he is definitely not qualified to give, showing everybody this is going to be one interesting ride. Before their departure to Thailand, Alan takes an immediate dislike that is borderline hatred to Lauren's little brother Teddy (Mason Lee), a 16-year-old genius who is pre-med at Stanford. Alan is not too happy about anybody intruding on the Wolf Pack.
Despite their single beers on the beach, they wake up in a seedy hotel room that is clearly far from the resort they left the night before. Stu has a massive tattoo on the side of his face, Alan's head is shaved, and Phil... well, Phil got off easy again. They have misplaced Teddy, although they do find something rather important that belongs to him. Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) makes a reappearance, and we see his genitals... again.
They search the city in an attempt to find clues as to what happened, and they learn far more than they wanted to know. There are crime bosses, car chases, shoot-outs, drug-dealing monkeys, ladyboys, monks doing blow, and missing fingers, all through the seedy underbelly of Bangkok, a city where sex and drugs seem to rule. Paul Giamatti plays an interesting part as Kingsley, a guy who is not too happy with Mr. Chow.
Again is something I have said a lot in this review, which might be contradictory to some, but I disagree. Todd Phillips took the "If it isn't broken, don't fix it formula" and created something that isn't new at all, but has new ways to keep people entertained. And this movie certainly is entertaining. It was funny from start to finish. I went to the midnight showing, which admittedly was full of mostly drunk people, but there were steady laughs the entire way through. If you are easily disgusted/offended, don't stick around for the slideshow at the end. Don't say I didn't warn you.
7.5 out of 10
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