The Hangover: Part III

            The third-and hopefully final-move of the Hangover saga was released Memorial Day weekend.  Movie-goers flocked to theatres to see the highly anticipated letdown.  “Hangover Part III” is only worth your time if you show up to the theater drunk, then the poor attempts at humor will be worth your time and money.  Maybe. 

            “Hangover Part III” reprises the roles of the infamous Wolf Pack, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifanakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha).  “Part III” also brings back roles from the previous films, such as Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), Sid Garner (Jeffery Tambor) and Jade (Heather Graham), along with bringing John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy and into the cast.

            The storyline of the film revolves around Alan, as we find out that his eccentric nature is the result of him having mental issues.  Stu, Phil and Doug propose taking him to a sanatorium in Arizona after staging an intervention.  On the way, they get kidnapped by Marshall (Goodman) who demands for the kidnapping of Chow, who stole millions of dollars from him. It becomes the Wolf Pack’s mission to take care of this all.  If they don’t, Doug (who is held hostage once more) will be killed. 

            Confusing plot line, I know.  The most important thing is missing though; the little nuance that makes the title of the film full of purpose.  There is no drug induced tirade, no alcohol-influenced episode gone wrong.  At least in the sequel to “The Hangover” Alan drugged the Wolf Pack again.  In this film, it is more of a wild goose chase dragged out too long. I found myself constantly checking my watch, waiting for the hour and forty minutes of pure torture to be over. 

            “Hangover Part III" takes the once-peculiar and lovable Alan Garner and turns him into an obnoxious, merciless simpleton.  He becomes self-destructive in his actions.  After seeing this film, my perception of his behavior changed from viewing him as simply being an artsy character just looking to live life, into a psychologically troubled middle-aged man.  His disposition becomes more troubled and frustrated even, as opposed to just quirky and downright strange. 

            The combination of a weak plotline, turning the eccentric Alan into a jerk and enough laughs to get you through the night makes “Hangover Part III” highly disappointing.  A film that leaves you lost, questioning what the motives of the characters are is not worth watching.  Even though “The Hangover” made such an impact on ticket sales and movie fans alike, and the sequel to it was tolerable-comparatively speaking-“Hangover Part III” was an absolute nightmare.