Synopsis:
When Allen suffers a very personal loss and spirals out of control, the rest of the Wolf Pack ban together for a road trip to see their craziest member get help. On the way to the treatment faculty, things take an unexpected turn. With every second more precious than the last, our three heroes must find Mr. Chow, the maniacal villain from the original classic, if they ever want to see Doug alive again. If the three fail, it will take more than a night of partying to forget the journey in The Hangover Part III.

Direction:
Directed by Todd Philips, the mastermind behind the previous two Hangover installments and the modern comedy staple “Old School” (2002), “The Hangover Part III” is surprisingly the most competently directed film in the trilogy. Philips cut his teeth in comedy films dating all the way back to the late nineties and seemingly alternated between ill-received bombs and modern classics throughout his career. However, Philip’s handle of the camera in the latest adventure in the Wolf Pack saga is quite remarkable. Like most comedic fair, emphasis is usually stressed on script and performance: set up camera, hit the script beats, rinse and repeat. Saved for a few niche moments in the previous two films, this method of filming that began its madness in the city of sin was the norm. “The Hangover Part III” is quite a different beast entirely.
In place of stationary, so-called “camera work”, here the audience is treated to both sweeping and overhead shots, as well as multi-concept camera execution. Examples of Philips’ maturity as a visual storyteller are seemingly on repeat in the piece and come at rapid speed. This is a very different captain of the ship, so to speak. I predict that he could very well deviate from his comedic roots and become a serious dramatic filmmaker.  As a massive fan of introducing different ideas and upping the stacks of main characters in a single shot, I was in Heaven when viewing the film.
One particular scene in the film involves our trusty three leads attempting to scale down a high-rise hotel in a scheme to retrieve something vital to their success in finding their lost Wolf Pack member. Things don’t always go as planned for the three, as is often the case in the three pictures, and we are presented with a beautiful overhead shot to capture the madness.  I yearned for more, as the single moving shot introduced different characters with different goals and  motivations with ease. The hotel scene is just one of the many examples of the great direction in the “Hangover Part III.”

Acting:
The acting in the last entry of the series is like a badly mixed drink, concocted by a seemingly blind bartender. Whereas in the original film, where the performances were inspired, and the characters enticingly felt truly lived, here we get almost soullessly phoned-in performances. An apparent hollowness takes the place of believability and self-association. We, as the audience, unflinchingly rooted for Ed Harris’s humbled, but inept portrayal of Stu and instantly fell in love with Bradley Cooper’s sarcastically charming Phil in the franchise’s first outing. Here, we have nothing to anchor to in terms of character, only that all too distant smell of our gang’s now legendary night in Vegas, which seems to evaporate with every passing frame in the newest movie. In all actuality, the staleness of the acting stems from an extremely weak script, but more on that in a few paragraphs.
Other key players in the crazy game that is “The Hangover Part III” don’t do much to help the situation either. Zack Galifianakis again returns as Allen, the unpredictable sweet savant, who, with a handful of “ecstasy”, changed Las Vegas and the Wolf Pack’s lives forever. His performance, unlike the two other leads, does in fact feel inspired. We feel bad for Allen and can associate with his “fish out of water” life perspective. The only problem here is that his character is more important to the story than in the other two installments and can become quite annoying at times. It is simply an issue of too much of a good thing. The same can also be said of fellow castmate Ken Jeong, playing the ever devious Mr. Chow. Chow is no doubt a funny character and is always knocked out of the park by Jeong, but he, too, gets too much screen time here and overstays his welcome quickly.

Writing:
The script for “The Hangover Part III” is simply horrible. Main characters have become minor characters, and vise versa, and the result is a confusing backwards mess. It’s now Mr. Chow and Allen’s story, instead of Stu, who is essentially the most important character in the previous two entries. In fact, the most important character in this film is Mr. Chow.  That’s right, the villain in the original is now the apparent main attraction. Chow’s the one literally driving the plot. I find it infuriating when narratives completely shift focus with each subsequent installment. Why writers can’t stick to the original, organic story is beyond me.

In fact, I was forgiving when Philips’ original follow-up, 2011’s “The Hangover Part II,” featured a script with inorganic storytelling because it was still slightly fun to see the same investigation-style formula as the original The Hangover. The first time you watch the original, both the characters and the audience have no idea about the previous night’s hilarious adventure. The investigation the characters conduct in the original, as well as the ill-conceived follow up, is fascinating to follow on premise alone. The third outing ditches the “what happened” structure for drama. Although it is a comedy like its predecessors, this outing boasts a much darker, more serious tone. After all the alcohol wears off, “The Hangover Part III” is quite painful to watch.

Final Cut:
Todd Philips’ “The Hangover Part III” is a well directed mess of a film. The tale is visually a feast at times, but features a handful of talented performers attempting to make the best of the horribly written material with shoddy results. Some fans may enjoy the final outing, but most people will leave the experience in full head-scratching mode. Recommended for die hard Wolf Pack fans only.