3. The Hangover
How on earth is The Hangover even a franchise? The first film was viewed as a surprise hit by many in the press, which strikes me as odd. It was made by established director Todd Phillips and starred Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, who were both far from unknown. I guess the small budget and the breakout performance from Zach Galifianakis led to this reputation, but it was always expected to do well. The first film was both funny and smart, a rare thing in modern comedy, where most end up being only one. And as is the custom with anything marginally successful nowadays, a sequel was made. This is where is goes wrong. In a rather puzzling move, all involved thought it would be a good idea to in a sense remake the original, repeating the same jokes and references, but this time making it feel more mean-spirited. It went on the gross more than the original, despite poor reviews, which has led to a third film being announced. Soon the films will sit on DVD shelves promoted as The Hangover Trilogy; a sickening thought. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact The Hangover worked fine as a stand alone movie, but the characters just aren't engaging enough to make us want to spend many more hours with; it should never have even been a franchise.