Film Review: "The Hangover Part III" (2013).

"The epic conclusion to the trilogy of mayhem and bad decisions." This is The Hangover Part III. This comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, written by Phillips and Craig Mazin, and based on Characters by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the sequel to The Hangover Part II, and the final installment of The Hangover Trilogy. The Wolfpack decides to help Alan after he faces a major crisis in his life. However, when one of them is kidnapped by a gangster in exchange for Chow, a prisoner on the run, they must find him.

In May 2011, days before the release of Part II, Phillips said that "there already are plans for a third film but no script or start date". In addition, Mazin entered early talks to write the third installment. In December 2011, on the The Graham Norton Show, Bradley Cooper stated he "hopes" that Part III will start shooting in September 2012, and also stated that Phillips is working on the script. In January 2012, it was reported that stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms were nearing deals to reprise their roles in third installment with each receiving $15 million (against the backend) for their participation. They had to be convinced to do the third film, since they believed the storyline had lost its appeal. In March 2012, Warner Bros. announced that it was moving forward with the sequel and scheduled a release date of May 24, 2013. In June 2012, it was reported that the third installment would return to Las Vegas and would shoot on the Las Vegas Strip and at Caesars Palace. The report stated that much of the film would also be shot in Los Angeles and Tijuana and include a storyline that involves the boys rescuing Alan from a mental hospital. In July 2012, Ken Jeong signed on to return in a significantly expanded role. The following week, Mike Epps entered negotiations to reprise his role of Black Doug. In August 2012, it was reported that Heather Graham would be back to play Jade the stripper. A few days later, Sasha Barrese was signed to reprise her role as Doug's wife, Tracy. By early September 2012, Justin Bartha said he had signed on to return in the sequel. In addition, John Goodman, Melissa McCarthy, Jeffrey Tambor rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in mid November. Filming took place throughout Nogales, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; Tijuana, Mexico; and California.

The film stars Galifianakis, Cooper, Helms, Bartha, Jeong, Goodman, McCarthy, Tambor, Graham, and Chung. There are plenty of laughs to be had from the outrageous situations in which the guys find themselves thanks to their hilarious, even if it's too over-the-top, performances.

A crueler, darker, raunchier carbon copy of the first and second installment, The Hangover Part III lacks the element of surprise—and most of the joy—that helped make the original, or even the sequel, a hit. 

Simon says The Hangover Part III receives: