The Hangover Part II

For some reason or another, the second movie of a series has a reputation for being worse than the first movie. Todd Phillips directed a hit comedy in 2009 called “The Hangover.” With the big success of the first, it was inevitable that there would be a sequel. Two years later, we have it, “The Hangover Part II.” The premise of the first film and the idiotic mess the protagonists found themselves in is what created the funniness of the film. Set two years later, this time Stu is getting married, instead of Doug. Stu’s wedding is to be in Thailand, which is where the majority of this film takes place.

Unfortunately, as a second film, “The Hangover Part II” falls into the mold of being worse than the first. This movie uses the same stellar cast as the first, but rehashes the plot almost exactly, with a few variations to make it just slightly different. The filming, itself, is well done, making Thailand look interesting. The technical and lighting effects are, also, done well. Most of the film’s laughs, that aren’t based in crudity, come from Galifinakis, such as hilarious talk of albino polar bears.

“The Hangover Part II” is rated “R” by the MPA for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use, and brief violent images. Take the rating seriously. The film features almost a hundred uses of the f-bomb, and too many milder curse words to count. There is full frontal male nudity, and full frontal female nudity in the credits. Retracing their steps from the previous night, the main characters end up in a strip club. One character discovers that he had sex with a male-to-female transgender prostitute. There are frank sex discussions, sexual jokes, and visual sex allusions, including a monkey imitating oral sex.

Violence is mild, with the worst thing being a character getting shot in the arm. Also, a monk beats three men with a bamboo pole for bothering the monastery’s vow of silence and mediation.

The Bible talks about purity in simple terms. Philippians 4:8 reads, “Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise” (CEV).

With a film being so full of crude humor and shock jokes of how nasty they can get, how can we Christians follow Philippians 4:8? I am a big fan of comedy. So much so, that despite the crude content contained therein, I love the first movie. However, there comes a point when one must ask, what is the point? If all it takes to make a funny movie is to up the crudity level, then “The Hangover Part II” passes with flying colors. Even without the biblical mention of purity, “The Hangover Part II” just isn’t that funny. Sure, there are some laughs to be had. But with its stale plot, higher crude content level, and total sexual depravity, “The Hangover Part II” doesn’t even leave the keg.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

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