15) The Hangover Part III (2013): “…did you get it?”
It is difficult now to imagine how, by 2009, there hadn’t already been a movie about a horrendous morning after the night before. It is such an obvious concept that it is almost like those sorts of inventions that are indispensable now that we have them, and yet took the whole history of the human race to think of. The Hangover was, if you like, the Facebook of the movie world.
During its theatrical run, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover became the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all-time, taking the record that Beverly Hills Cop had held for 25 years. It beat 500 Days of Summer to the Golden Globe award for best motion picture in the comedy category and when it was released on DVD, it outsold Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Cleverly scripted and – considering that the movie’s content consists of little more than a group of idiots attempting to retrace some idiotic choices – weirdly fresh.
But Hollywood has a bizarre response to this sort of success, which is to destroy it as swiftly and as completely as possible. In this case, Hollywood armed itself for the assault especially early, announcing The Hangover Part II a full two months before the first film had even been released. As the sequel opened in cinemas, the world held its arms out in joyful welcome……and promptly received a short, sharp slap in the face. The humour relied mainly on vulgarity and the characters had become caricatures. The main problem, of course, was that the format had worn thin. Overall, this had been a monumental misfire.
But not enough of a misfire, apparently, to stop the onslaught, and a third film was announced again before the second film had even left theatres. This time, at least, Phillips was promising that it would follow a very different template to that of the previous two.
Phillips, sadly, kept to his word. From Alan’s refusal to take his medication and the subsequent intervention, to Black Doug being shot, The Hangover Part III mainly abandoned its comedy roots and morphed into some kind of slightly disturbing thriller hybrid. This did, however, have the intended effect of regaining some of the ground lost by the second movie. Audiences understood that something had had to change – yet the revisiting of themes and characters from the first movie provided a nice touch of nostalgia that just about saw the franchise through to the bitter end.
What wasn’t easy to accept, however, was the loss of those hapless boys who had so charmed everyone in the original film. With most of the comedic opportunity removed by the storyline, and with no roofie-ing, drinking, gambling, stripper-marrying, lady-boy-encountering, tiger-stealing or facial tattooing, Phil, Stu and Alan (sorry – and Doug) were now just like any other fraught and faintly angry grown-up men in any other movie. To put it in fitting terms, they just weren’t any fun anymore.
Which is why it is such a delight when Alan takes a photo of Phil, hanging hundreds of floors above the ground from a rope of bedsheets, as they attempt to break into Chow’s suite at Caeser’s Palace.
Part way through Phil’s treacherous descent, Alan calls down to him. When Phil asks what’s wrong, Alan tells him to hang on a second and produces his camera phone. Attempting to get the best shot, Alan tells Phil to kick himself out a bit. Phil is yelling at him in frustration, until Alan takes the picture. Then there is a moment’s pause before Phil – still dangling in mid-air – asks “…..did you get it?”
For just this one, tiny, insignificant space in time, something of the original Hangover tone is suddenly captured. Phil and Alan are once again those boys from years ago: The situation around them is ludicrous, and their attitudes are wholly inappropriate and thoroughly irresponsible. It may be the only moment like it amidst an otherwise very sobering background of mental illness, death-threats and terrifying pig masks, but it is a moment exactly like all of those that made that first movie such an instant classic. And it is lovely just to see them again.