Ciao Already: The Hangover Part III can’t recapture original magic

When a completely naked Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) jumps out of the trunk of a car and starts yelling in a strange Asian accent in The Hangover, it comes as a real shock. When Chow escapes from prison at the beginning of Hangover Part III, allegedly the franchise’s final chapter, it’s sort of expected. We already know just how crazy he is. And that’s the problem. Much like Hangover Part II, The Hangover Part III suffers from the inability to sneak up on us with novel situations. Instead, the film ups the ante by relying heavily on the personalities of over-the-top characters not created to carry leading roles.

The flimsy plot here involves the gangster Marshall (John Goodman) who blackmails Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) by kidnapping their friend Doug (Justin Bartha) and threating to kill him if they don’t find Chow and the gold he stole from him. As a result, the guys have to go to Mexico and then Vegas, where they find Chang holed up in the penthouse suite at Caesar’s Palace. Of course, returning to Vegas doesn’t sit well with Stu, who still has bad memories from that wild bachelor party we saw in the original film. And getting to Chow, whose viciousness knows no bounds, isn’t going to be easy. The return to Vegas is actually the film’s highlight but the hijinks this time around simply can’t compare with all the crazy stuff that happened the first time around.

Still, there’s no denying these are great characters that have great chemistry. Stu and Alan still dislike each other and relentlessly hurl funny insults at one another. Alan has a thing for Phil and that creates a number of awkward encounters. And Chow is a real wildcard who causes all kind of trouble. It’s no fault of Jeong’s, but a little Chow goes a long way and the character figures far too prominently in this movie. And what seemed so natural for Galifianakis in the first film comes off as rather forced this time around, especially when falls for a wacko pawn shop owner (Melissa McCarthy). A slight step above The Hangover, Part II, The Hangover Part III can’t recapture the magic that made the first film such fun.