The metaphysical angst of The Hangover Part III: 2 notes

1) Much like looking into the eyes of the Gorgon, thinking about The Hangover Part III actively causes pain. The mind would just as soon slide off to dwell on anything else, a kind of merciful defense mechanism. Instead of a review, imagine instead distant screams (late at night, and you can't tell in which direction), the dislocated and unnerving sensation of waking up with two missing kidneys. With its sole interest in money, its grimly inconsequential accumulation of unfunny scenes, its baldfaced advertising for Las Vegas (which does now have Hangover slot machines), its Asian stereotyping that makes Mr. Yunioshi of Breakfast at Tiffany's look enlightened, and for the stunning way it exemplifies today (and for all time) the word "inert," The Hangover Part III may have much to teach us by negative example of the long-overdue need to get beyond Adam Sandler-esque aggressive baby men and their self-deluded sense of entitlement. The movie argues for the sheer superfluity of anyone of the masculine gender, the logical cessation of the XY chromosome, the abolishment of studios who make profits on threequels, and the simple need to move on. Mercifully, only four people were in the large theater when I watched it last Thursday afternoon, which seemed fitting and just (even if still four too many).

2) In fairness, the first 40 minutes of the movie serve as an excellent sedative.

Some links:  

"'he killed a giraffe—who gives a . . . ?' says Bradley Cooper, in what amounts to a candid articulation of the trilogy's worldview." --Chris Packham

"Pajiba: Well, it’s hard to get people to read reviews these days unless there’s a gimmick, but what else can I say? It’s the same film as the other two, only with half the laughs of the second film, which only had two. You took a scene stealer from the first film (Ken Jeong) and you turned him into a major character. I mean, you went to Georgetown; how does an Asian caricature speaking in broken English for nearly two hours sit with you?

Cooper: Look, I didn’t write the film."

"Early tracking suggested Hangover would open to about $20 million, great for a low-budget comedy. When the movie grossed $45 million during its first weekend, the stars' lives changed instantly. Neither Phillips nor any of the actors was signed for a sequel. That gave CAA, which represented all four of them, enormous leverage. Sources say the stars got raises to about $10 million each to return, and Phillips received about $10 million against 10 percent of profits. The trio got bumps to about $15 million each for the third film."

Kermode Uncut's reaction to The Hangover Part III