Have you ever sat down to the exact same meal you’ve previously loved and realized that it just does NOT measure up? That’s The Hangover Part II. Sometimes two of the same thing is great, like two whiskeys or two kittens, but apparently two of the EXACT SAME movie is not-so great. Part II is the exact same movie as its predecessor but shifted to a different location. It’s not sorta similar or has the same elements and themes—it’s the exact same movie, but, much like that meal redux I described above, it’s just not the same the second go-round. It’s less funny, more strained, and almost even boring.

Go figure that two Hangovers aren’t better than one.

Read more after the jump.

Part II starts off with Stu (Ed Helms) insisting that his buddies not throw him a bachelor party before his wedding because of what happened in Vegas in the previous film. So, he, Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha) jet set to Thailand for the blessed event, but not before Alan (Zach Galifianakis) guilt trips them into letting him tag along. After a horrible rehearsal dinner with Stu’s future father-in-law who outright hates him, the gang decides to have “one beer” on the beach with the bride’s young brother, Teddy.

Of course, one beer somehow leads to many, many, many drinks, and Phil wakes up in a decrepit hotel in downtown Bangkok the next morning to a shaved-headed Alan, a face-tattooed Stu, a monkey in a Rolling Stones denim vest, a bloodied finger, and a naked Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) with no recollection of what’s happened and a missing Teddy. It’s up to the “Wolfpack” to again piece together what transpired the night before and find Teddy before Stu’s wedding. Along the way are the usual shenanigans: drugs, hookers, car chases, and general chaos.

This should sound really familiar to you because it’s the exact same plot as the first Hangover. Even Justin Bartha doesn’t get to play with the Wolfpack this time around. (Perhaps the studio execs were afraid to throw the Wolfpack off balance somehow?) While there are a handful of funny moments in Part II still, the sequel doesn’t feel as fresh or as hilarious as the first film. It feels so forced and stale, and what worked well in the first Hangover in small doses, such as Mr. Chow’s nudity and awful accent and Alan’s weird and off-putting childlike qualities, just feels wildly exploited in Part II.  Plus, I feel like it hasn’t helped that both Jeong and Galifianakis have been wildly over-exposed since the first film and have relied solely on the same shticks. Even Cooper seems completely over their antics.

The Hangover Part II feels like a two-day hangover: you’re not even sure why you thought it was a good idea to go back for more in the first place.

--Darcie Duttweiler