The Hangover II review, new jokes make up for a repeat formula

It's already been two years?  Holy wow, I can't believe how time flies!  In 2009, The Hangover became the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time.  Rightfully so.  With a blend of unique characters, a funny premise, and shock value to boot; it was a homerun.  It catapulted Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis to stardom.  And it proved director Todd Phillips was a someone with longevity in this business.

The first movie followed the three main characters as they tried to find their lost friend after a night they couldn't remember.  The movie took place in Las Vegas and the city was a great backdrop to the story being told.  This time around, the "Wolfpack" finds themselves in a similar situation, only this time, they've lost a friend in Bangkok, Thailand.  Oh no... The Hangover II.

What I liked about the film:
The Wolfpack (including the monkey)

This is an obvious one.  Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis have an unbelievable chemistry together.  The three actors feed and play off of each other so well, they're totally believable in their roles.

Galifianakis steals most of the scenes again, as he did in the first film.  Helms plays the paranoid panic attack very well.  And the contrast to Helms is Bradley Cooper, who never seems to get phased by anything.  Ken Jeong and Paul Giamatti round out some great supporting characters as well.  And don't forget about the much talked about monkey.  Baby Carlos has NOTHING on the cigarette smoking, drug dealing monkey in the sequel.  It was cleverly worked into the film and actually served a purpose in the plot.  Great!

The setting

Vegas was a great place to setup the last film.  It just made sense for the guys to wake up in their hotel room, not remembering much.  This time, they pushed the envelope.  Thailand is so visually busy, the movie will need a second viewing to catch everything.  Tying in Jeong's character into the setting was great.  Watching the movie, you got a real sense of how difficult it was for the cast and crew to work in such busy conditions.  I've read interviews with director, Phillips, where he says it was his most difficult shoot to date.

The one-liners, memorable

I hate when I go to a movie and leave not recalling a thing.  That wasn't the case with this film.  My wife and I left the theater repeating one-liner after the other.  I am well aware of all the criticisms of the film being identical to the first (I'll get to that in a minute), but the movie is very memorable and will hold up against a lot of other comedies out there.


What I didn't like about the film:
Sub-plot
I find myself disliking a lot of film sub-plots.  It's because it feels like the movie wouldn't have suffered if they took it out completely.  Without giving anything away, the sub-plot involves Jeong and Giamatti's characters.  The writers used it as a device to take the main characters from one place to the next, but once the sub-plot is revealed in full, there's no pay off.  I didn't like it and wished they would have written it out of the movie.


The Verdict:
Loved it, KNOWING what I was walking into

I think people just wanted to hate the film.  "It's exactly like the first one."  "They couldn't have thought of anything better?"  Interesting how you weren't criticizing the movie while laughing so hard I couldn't hear the dialogue.  Look, the first trailer showed us all that it was going to have the EXACT same format as the first film.  So I knew what I was getting myself into and was very content with it.  To me, it was fresh and funny in ways the first one wasn't; and it was enough to satisfy my hunger for another grown-up comedy after Bridesmaids.  Check out The Hangover II, you will not be disappointed!

Bridesmaids review... girls just wanna have fun

I only posted the trailer a few weeks go.  I have been anxiously Tweeting away about it.  The ensemble cast is as different and as funny as they come.  So what movie has got me so hot and bothered?  Bridesmaids!  It stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph (both SNL alumni) as best friends.  They have grown up together, been there for each other, and now Rudolph's character is getting married.  And of course, like any best friend should, she has asked Wiig's character to be her maid of honor.  The real comedy magic happens when Rudolph introduces Wiig to the rest of her bridal party.  I have a lot I liked about this movie, so let's begin!

What I liked about the film:
The Characters

I know this pretty much goes without saying; but the characters in the film are so funny, so unique, they're among the funniest I've seen in a long time.  Ironically, the last time I saw characters this unique; it was in the movie Bridesmaids keeps getting compared to, The Hangover.  There are five bridesmaids including Wiig.

Rose Byrne is the antagonist... according to Wiig's character.  She has formed a relationship with Rudolph that threatens Wiig's role in the bride's life.  She is everything Wiig is not, rich, has friends, connections, etc.  Byrne found a way to bring comedy to the role that could have otherwise been viewed as a villainous role.

I loved "Reno:911" when it was on Comedy Central, and one of my favorite characters on the show was played by Wendi McLendon-Covey.  In this film, she plays Rudolph's cousin and is the only bridesmaid with children.  She's a woman with a lot of marriage experience she shares with the other ladies; and she also has an urge for strip clubs.  Hillarious!

Ellie Kemper is one of my favorite characters on NBC's "The Office".  In this film, she plays a similar character in that she is sweet, innocent and a newlywed with very little sexual experience.  She forms a bond with McLendon-Covey's character and the two share a hilarious scene together!

And the award for scene-stealer goes to Melissa McCarthy who plays Rudolph's future sister-in-law.  The plus sized woman is electric in the role!  She's a lovable loser who happens to be confident with herself.  Her character definitely helps the movie earn its much deserved "R" rating.  McCarthy nailed it and will reap the same benefits as Zach Galifianakis did after The Hangover.  She's so good, I'm looking up her past roles to rent on redbox.

Heart

The movie was written by Wiig and Annie Mumolo.  It has a lot of heart.  I'm sure the real life friendship between Wiig and Rudolph only helped to authenticate their relationship on screen.  In Judd Apatow fashion (he is a producer on the film), you fall in love with the characters.  Most of the film is based in reality, which also helps us care for the characters.  This was great.

The Love Story
Believe it or not, this isn't like most "chick flicks".  Granted some of it is cliche and you can see certain plot points coming a mile away; but for the most part it is a grounded film.  Jon Hamm has a great little role in the film; he plays Wiig's screw buddy.  We see Wiig's character grow and evolve, eventually dumping Hamm for the other love interest in the film.  It is tastefully done and very well written.  I actually wanted to see Wiig end up with the good guy, something I usually don't care for in romantic comedies.


What I didn't like about the film:
Pacing / Run Time
I know this is something not a lot of people will concern themselves with, but I do.  The film goes from 100 miles per hour to 5 within a few minutes.  There are obviously fast paced scenes involving all the bridesmaids, but the character development material is exhausting.  Also the run time was a bit long.  I would have completely cut out some of the characters and sub-plots, like Wiig's roommates.  I understand what they were trying to do by having them in the film; but I believe it hurt the film more than it helped.  They were unique characters, but unfunny for the most part and made the movie drag a bit.The movie could have been tightened up and maybe even cut back a half hour or so.

The Repetitiveness

Sure, there are scenes where the repetitiveness is on purpose, but there were a lot of scenes in the movie where it didn't work in my opinion.  Or it was just too long a scene and it killed the joke.  Take the maid of honor speech at the engagement party for example; Wiig and Byrne compete for Rudolph's attention by fighting over the microphone confessing their love to her.  The joke works, but after 10 or so exchanges of the microphone, it becomes redundant and unfunny.  Unfortunately there are several examples of this in the film. 


The Verdict:
A much needed start to Summer 2011

I am so happy my Summer movie season is off to a good start.  I thoroughly enjoyed Thor last week and Bridesmaids was a treat for my wife and I.  I have to reiterate what a lot of people online are saying; hopefully this movie will help to generate a new breed of female driven comedies.  We need to laugh and cheer, not just fight super villains with our superhero friends.  It was a fun movie and hopefully the rest of the Summer goes as well as the last two weeks have, we'll look back at this post and see if it does!

Due Date DVD review

DVD reviews give us a chance to review a movie that we may not have seen in theaters.  Or, we saw it in theaters and we were too lazy to review it.  Or, we want to give you all a heads up as to what cool extras are on the DVD or Blu-Ray. 

Due Date is directed by Todd Phillips who's helped create such hits as Old School and The Hangover.  It stars the amazing Robert Downey Jr. and 'Hangover' breakout star, Zach Galifianakis. 

Downey is about to be a father, but is on the opposite side of the country, and needs to get to his wife.  Due to hilarious events, he can't fly, so he MUST take a road trip with Galifianakis, an aspiring actor.  Hilarity ensues as they start their road trip across country with a little dog, no money and a ton of funny situations.  I'm gonna start.

What I liked about the film:
It's Simplicity

This film is very simple and very straight forward.  Two guys who have nothing in common, who are very different from each other, are forced to drive cross country.  There is some physical comedy but for the most part, it's grounded in reality.  I'm starting to mention that more and more in my reviews because I'm realizing it's a vital part of my movie-going experience.  If I can't relate, it doesn't equate.  Sorry, I had a Johnnie Cochran moment.

The Cast

Downey is one of my favorite actors, and Galifianakis is right there.  The two play such contradictory characters, they're bound to clash from time to time.  They play off each other like a game of ping pong.  Downey is great as a stuffed shirt, always serious, business man.

Galifianakis basically plays a variation of his character in 'Hangover', but it's still different enough for it to be fresh.  That's why it's not a "dislike" on my review.  He has a few emotional scenes in the film that gave me a whole new perspective on him as an actor, kudos for showing some range.

The supporting cast is great, including one of my favorites, Danny McBride, also Michelle Monaghan and Jaime Foxx.  Good stuff.

Director
Todd Phillips just has a knack for these comedies.  If you look at his work, he always has a terrific cast and supporting cast to carry the film.  His movies all have that "it could happen" feel, as well as relateable characters.  He also knows how important timing is when it comes to comedy.  The jokes and execution are perfect.  Nicely done, again.


What I didn't like about the film:
Sub Plot

Without giving too much away, there is a sub plot in the film that doesn't really ever go anywhere.  It involves Monaghan and Foxx's characters and it felt so stupid and a complete filler.  It's not enough to write off the movie or anything, its just one aspect that didn't work.


The Blu-Ray:
A Let Down
There aren't too many features to jump up and down for.  Also, it's important to note that if you want any features at all, you'll have to shell out $24.99 for the Blu-Ray/DVD combo.  The single Blu-Ray and single DVD don't have any features at all.  The combo has the complete "Two and a half Men" scene that is mentioned throughout the film.  It has a few mash-ups featuring scenes already in the film.  A short featurette about Galifianakis' character and a gag reel.  That's it. 

The Verdict:
Buy the DVD
The film is great in my opinion.  The actors, the story, the direction are all great.  The movie is a definite buy in my book.  But I would go with the DVD.  There are no scenes that require 1080p visuals, and the features fall flat on the expensive Blu-Ray combo.  Get the good 'ol regular DVD for $13.99 on Amazon.com.  Great price for a new release.  Enjoy!

Zach Galifianakis may join Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D.

Not a bad idea actually.  I would LOVE to see Galifianakis and Reynolds feed off each other.  The movie is R.I.P.D, we told you about Reynolds casting a few months ago.  So far, RED director, Robert Schwentke is set to take over the movie.  You never know, that might change. It's based on the popular Dark Horse comic book and it's about cops, the underworld, awesome. 

I've made it no secret how much I like Ryan Reynolds, same goes for Galifianakis.  I also really liked the visual style Schwentke brought to RED.  If this goes through, it could be something special.  We'll see.  What do you think?

"Due Date" Poster

Todd Phillips directed, Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis starring, Due Date. Just for kicks, here's the poster. Also, check out the trailer here.

Robert Downey Jr. & Zach Galifianakis' "Due Date" Trailer

We've been hearing about Due Date for a while now. Director Todd Phillips follows up The Hangover with this gem of a comedy. Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, road trip, 'nuff said. Check out the trailer... I don't like it at all, but have hope the movie will be funny.

Quickie: Youth in Revolt trailer looks interesting

We at AtD love Michael Cera. His soft spoken sense of humor is just great. His new movie, Youth in Revolt, is an interesting change I think. Cera plays multiple characters in this romantic comedy of sorts. It's hard to explain, so just watch the trailer and let us know what you think in the comments. Also... pay attention to the Zack Galifianakis cameo, pretty funny.

Quickie: Matt: "The Hangover" Review

Just a quick rant & review for you guys.

Now when it comes to comedies, I don't like comparing one movie to the other. I hate the review that includes "funnier than..." or "not as funny as...". Comedy reviews should just point out if the movie is good or not and funny or not. Right? So here we go.

I saw "The Hangover" recently and it's really great fun.
The concept of a few friends going to Vegas and getting so smashed that they don't even remember what happened the night before is classic, and the jokes stemming from this are the funniest in the movie.
3 friends wake up in a trashed hotel room to find chickens roaming freely, empty cans of booze everywhere, broken furniture and even a live tiger in the bathroom!

They can't find their 4th friend that went with them and they have to try to piece their night back together to find him.In addition to the ingenius plot, this movie has a funny, unexpected story line coupled with some really good comedic performances by the entire cast, especially the always hysterical Zack Galifianakis.

I also feel as if there are so many subtle jokes thrown in there that it may need repeated viewings to catch them all.
We got a cult classic on our hands, people.
Definitely check this one out, preferably with a large group of friends.

-Matt