May 27, 2011 by Vinnie Leduc
Nearly everything has been spiked by a boost, unlike the fourth Pirates (review here), which completely went the opposite direction. This includes the raunchiness that has warranted a very hard R-rating, the eccentricity of Zack Galifanakis’ cult-hit character, and the danger of the sequelae as a result of their forgotten path of delightful destruction.
Part II, which revisits and relies heavily on components that made the first Hangover so successful, may turn some audiences off due to many of the aforementioned things, but it served up the most LOL moments of the year for me. This is particularly impressive coming off the high heels of Bridesmaids, which was also a blast (review here) but different from the lost boys of The Wolfpack, reprised superbly by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Galifanakis.
In search of the perfect sequel, co-writer and director Todd Phillips may have forced some… things (I won’t break my own spoiler rule here), but they’re minor flaws in an otherwise uproarious comedy that ends with another perfect stinger (spoilers here). The Hangover: Part II gets 4.5 Stars or A- or excellent.
