The Hangover Part II follows the 2009 smash hit R-rated comedy, with a motley crew of friends getting hammered in the streets of Bangkok rather than Las Vegas as they celebrate a bachelor party. In this latest incarnation of the Hangover franchise, the put-upon dentist Stu (Ed Helms) plans to wed a Thai woman (Jamie Chung) in her family’s homeland, but must survive the bachelor party. Though the plot is predictable, it generates plenty of laughs through shockingly funny frat boy humor. Stu has a shocking encounter with a She-male. But it is a surprise appearance by Mike Tyson that changes the pace a bit, offering somewhat subtler laughs, and giving the film a somewhat complex finish.
The film stars fan favorites Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, but Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong, who also reprise their roles, add much of the comic relief moviegoers crave.
Although controversy surrounds the production — in April 2011, tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. because the film uses a copy of Mike Tyson’s tattoo — it looks like the Hangover Part II will send all parties laughing to the bank. As of May 30, 2011, The Hangover Part II has accrued $137,375,000 in US territories and a further $59,000,000 in international territories for a worldwide gross of $196,375,000.