The Hangover Part II

Summary

Two years after the disastrous events in Las Vegas, it is now Stu's (Ed Helms) turn to walk down the aisle. Since his bride is from Thailand, Stu decides to hold the wedding there. Desperately hoping to avoid the mayhem of Doug's (Justin Bartha) bachelor party, Stu chooses what he thinks will be a safe option: an alcohol-free, prewedding brunch. But this being Thailand, and with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) again in attendance, anything can happen.

What's the Story?

Here we go again. On the eve of his wedding, Stu (Ed Helms) wakes up in a dingy hotel room in Bangkok, along with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), all badly hung over. What transpired the night before? None of them can remember, but clearly it was over-the-top intense, with Stu's new facial tattoo as a lovely memento. And, wait -- where's Stu's soon-to-be teenage brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee)? As they search for their missing pal, the gang tries to fill in the gaps in their memories.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that, in attempting to surpass the original film, this R-rated comedy sequel is even cruder and more explicit than the first installment (i.e. full-frontal shots of pre-operative transgender characters). This time around, the three main characters wake up in Bangkok with no memory of what transpired the previous night, only to learn that their evening included drug deals, a severed finger, plenty of drugs and drinking, and a surprising encounter with strippers. All of this is punctuated with non-stop swearing, including tons of F-bombs. Families can talk about the film's excessive depiction of wild partying. Is the film condoning or glorifying this kind of behavior? Talk about the ritual of the bachelor party -- is it a chance for real bonding or simple immature excess? What do you think about the characters' loyalty to each other? Does the Wolfpack stick together?