Let’s get this out of the way right up front: this is exactly the same movie as The Hangover. Things get a little raunchier here and there, and the stakes are higher, but the plot points, character beats, and structure are identical to the first movie. So, yes, everything that the critics say is true.

However, it is also very funny, and I believe that the similar events and structure really speak to the characters in some significant ways, and also that this was maybe the only way to construct a Hangover sequel anyway. I guess you could have made a sequal that didn’t have the black-out element, instead featuring more random funny shit with Phil, Stu and Alan, but would anybody really enjoy that?

An identical go-around was their only option, and this is possibly the best identical go-around they could have made. It’s certainly epic levels of hilarity better than Ghostbusters 2, a movie that really could have gone anywhere with its premise and decided instead to reset everything and do it all over again one more time. That was real creative bankruptcy. This was necessity, and as a result, Ed Helms’ Stu winds up being the most fully developed character in the Wolfpack. In fact, a strong argument can be made that this series is essentially about Stu. He’s the only character who is really affected by the events of the first movie, and the only character who realizes something about himself as a result. He changes, and he accepts, but the other guys just perform their comedy tasks, gliding along on through the chaos.

There will be a Hangover Part III, and I’ll see that one too, because I love these guys, and I can’t wait to see how far Stu is pushed into the darkness in the next one.

THE METRICS

• Funniness: 4 of 5
• Originality: 2.5 of 5
• Monkey: 4.5 of 5
• Ladyboys: 5 of 5
• Danzig: 4 of 5
• Average: 4 of 5

Verdict: it’s funny! Motherfuck a movie critic.