5 Great Comedy Movie Sequels (And 5 That Were Disappointments)

2. The Hangover Part II (2011)

There's rehashing jokes, and then there's "The Hangover Part II." I still like to think of the second "Hangover" as strictly being an experiment. Let's remake the first movie and see if anybody notices. I am pretty sure that's what the second movie tries to do. "Hey, it's not exactly the same! It's set in Thailand," says the movie's last remaining defender. Once again, like with the "Austin Powers" films, everything that Alan (Zach Galifianakis) did in the first film was considered the funniest thing ever. By "Part II," people had just about enough. His character isn't even the most annoying aspect of the movie either, that honor belongs to Ken Jeong's character Leslie Chow. Ken Jeong is best used in small doses. Here? He's practically been added to the gang. Do the filmmakers hate us or something? What have we done to deserve this treatment? The first film was great because it managed to successfully incorporate mystery elements into an R-rated comedy. It worked beautifully. The first time you watch "The Hangover," it consistently surprises you. While it doesn't hold up that well with multiple viewings, you can still appreciate the film on some level. The problem with the last two movies, and most specifically the second one, is that there's an insistence on making it more "outrageous" and "dangerous" than the first one without an attempt to make any of it funny. Again, another example of trying to be bigger instead of funnier. It's a shame too because right before it came out, "The Hangover Part II" actually felt like an event. That's why it did such huge business in the box office: everybody wanted to see the movie. Audience reaction to the second one was a bit more positive than with the critics, but considering the third film was not nearly as successful as the first two, they must've realized there was no point in coming back yet again.