‘Hangover II’ still hilarious, even with predictable plot T he gossip circulat- ing the movie review blogos- phere basically screams “The Hangover Part II” is a carbon copy of its smash- hit predeces- sor, “The Hangover.” In all hon- esty, that’s a bit of an overstate- ment, but not by much. While the infamous Wolfpack is traversing both the stunningly lush scenery and the gritty un- derground of Thailand instead of the glittering and glamourous Vegas, and the boys lose the bride’s brother rather than the groom, it wouldn’t be uncalled for to decry direc- tor Todd Phillips and his writers for rehashing (and therefore diminishing) the 2009 plot line, strippers and drugs included. The Phillips-directed sequel (he also directed the first movie) takes place several years after the Vegas “incident,” this time with Stu (Ed Helms, “Ceder Rapids”) being the groom on deck. There’s a difference, though: His fi- ancée’s (Jamie Chung, “Dragon Ball: Evolution”) parents want the wedding in Thailand. Her father, Fohn (Nirut Sirichanya) thinks Stu is a pansy and harasses him mercilessly. But his prodigy son, Teddy (Mason Lee) is apparently a Godsend. And of course, as the laws of sequels dic- tate, Teddy has to join the Wolfpack. That doesn’t sit well with Alan (Zack Gali- fianakis, the first “Hangover”), who feels threatened and overpro- tective of his best friends. So, while at a bonfire with Phil (Bradley Cooper, “Limitless”), Doug (Justin Bartha, “National Treas- ure”), Stu and Teddy, he introduces some drug- laced marshmallows to the situation. Cue the time-lapsed cut- away, and we find Phil, Stu and Alan bloodied and bruised in the depths of Bangkok squaller, with- out any memory of the preceding night. And as in the original, someone (in this case, Teddy) has gone missing. And so we’ve come full-circle, with the boys frantically navigating the dangerous streets of Bangkok in search of the 16-year-old. As they search, all hell breaks loose, including running into an angry crime boss (Paul Giamatti, “Sideways”), a gun-toting Russian mob, a Mike Tyson-inspired facial tat- too, a tranny hooker, a finger without a person at- tached to it and a drug-dealing monkey who has a penchant for mas- turbation. Oh, and Mr. Chow ... Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong, the first “Hang- over”) ... shows up as Alan’s plus-one, blow and criminal record in tow. With so much going on, it’s not surprising that the performances of Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis come across as under- whelming. Cooper, after nailing the party boy role in the first movie, does nothing more than stand around and look pretty this time. Helms’ charac- ter, however, goes through some cringe-inducing mis- ery in this version (not that pulling out his own tooth and marrying a table dancer aren’t misery incarnate), and it seems the torment falls unfairly on him. Galifianakis, though, is still gut-wrenchingly fun- ny. He provides the center in “Part II,” being both id- iotic and touching in equal measures and again stealing the show. Still, it’s not enough to add any- thing fresh, and isn’t that the point of a sequel? That’s not to say the se- quel isn’t incredibly hilarious and just as de- bauched as the original (even more so in certain situations), but the beauty of the “The Hangover” was how original it was. It took the premise of a Ve- gas bachelor party and ap- plied Murphy’s Law to it. It was unabashedly raunchy and debased, vul- gar without once being apologetic, giving the mid- dle finger to political correctness. It was, in short, amazing. However, the sequel merely took that concept and applied it to international waters. If viewed alone and in its entirety, “Part II” would be a comedy gold mine. But that’s neither realistic nor fair. “The Hangover” came first, and it will be the reason why “Part II” will do so well at the box office. So, while smoking ciga- rettes with a drug-dealing monkey would leave you with an interesting story to tell at the reception, “The Hangover Part II,” with all of its insanity and high-oc- tane action, leaves you feeling as if you’d seen this movie before, and just a bit disappointed. But no worries: The credits more than make up for it. Two stars out of five. [Note: While "Part II" it- self would warrant a higher score, it's only fair to compare it to the origi- nal, up to which it doesn't quite stand. This isn't to say you shouldn't see it, but be prepared for a strong sense of déjà vu.] Dominic Baez is the copy editor/paginator for the East Oregonian. Follow his movie blog, Silver Screen- ing, for the latest trailers, clips and extras at silver- screening.wordpress.com. Friday, May 27, 2011 East Oregonian Page 9A ENTERTAINMENT JUST 45 MINUTES JUST 45 MINUTES JUST 45 MINUTES TO THE BEST DEAL! TO THE BEST DEAL! TO THE BEST DEAL! 541-963-2161 • www.LegacyDirect.com • 1-800-966-1707 LEGACY FORD OF LAGRANDE Home of $700 Less! Home of $700 Less! 45089CM Flag Exchange for Veterans and their Families McKay Creek Estates will be offering a free flag exchange for veterans or their families on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 McKay Creek Estates will exchange old or worn flags for a new one*, and old flags will be processed properly * Supplies are limited. First 25 flages will be exchanged. McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Place • Pendleton • 541-276-1987 46564CM Contact the board at: http://www.bluecc.edu/board_email 44075SW AP photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Melinda Sue Gordon From left, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms are shown in a scene from “The Hangover Part II.” M MO OV VI IE E R RE EV VI IE EW W At the Movies DOMINIC BAEZ “The Hangover Part II”* ★★★★★ *See note at end of story for explanation. Well, it IS Bangkok... Box Office Top 5 Rotten Tomatoes is a registered trademarks of Flixster, Inc. No. 1 Pirates: On Stranger Tides Rotten Tomatoes EO score: ★ 32% ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No. 2 Bridesmaids 89% No. 3 Thor 78% No. 4 Fast Five 79% No. 5 Priest 17% ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★