Opinion Perils of Hangover
How the sameness of sequels dumbfounds critics and delights fans
My heart sank the moment I saw that monkey. It looked like one of those shrewd-faced simians that madaaris used to tote about on their shoulders,plopping them down in front of a crowd,which would clap,fling a coin and go their way. Performing monkeys have now become a rarity on our streets,because theyve moved to the movies,where they are busy outsmarting humans trying to out-monkey each other.
Know this. Movies with cute monkeys in them are usually and instantly worthy of a takedown. Also know this. Such movies are usually destined to be monstrous blockbusters. Such is the fate of Hangover 2,the second coming of a movie in which four men getting trashed turned into box-office gold. The first Hangover,which came out two years ago,notched enough numbers to become the most successful R-rated comedy; the sequel is doing its best to catch up. My less-than-flattering review caused a few understanding nods,but also a number of contrarian comments. My favourite came from someone who has a great will-this-work-or-not content detector: I loved it,it was so completely inane!
This piece can alternately be dubbed In Which Critics Are Confounded. In a film so desperate to tread the same path,so petrified of doing anything that will scare away the fans of the original,there really is nothing to gauge other than just how craven studios can get in the pursuit of cash and filled coffers. Hangover The Second gives you plenty of pauses in which to fill in stupefied blanks – you mean these guys are actually going to do the same thing all over again? You mean with not one thing thats new,other than a couple of cosmetic changes?
A wedding getting held up because the previous nights drunken disorderly conduct led to,among other things,the groom getting lost,was the single plot point of the first film. In the second,history (two years in the life of a best-selling franchise can be a very long time: what if people forget?) repeats itself. One little beer among the same people leads to,here we go again,them waking up the next morning in a tatty hotel room,with no recollection of what happened. Again. Nursing the mother of all hangovers. Again. With one of them vanishing,and the rest panicking. Again. And with the wedding a few hours away. Yes,yes,again.
So okay,so this is a sequel,and in sequels a lot of sameness ensues. Thats the whole point. The comforting familiarity quotient allows your brain to go into a zone where it knows no work will be required. It hunkers down,grateful for the R and R. But excuse us,since when did no work on the part of the director,except for switching animals (a monkey replaces the tiger) and location (Bangkok replaces Vegas),translate into one of the most successful comedies,if you can call it that,on the planet?
It did. Last week. Within three days of its release. Sigh.
The antics that caused mild hilarity in the first one have clearly got enough people in splits so as to warrant another of the same. Just as enough people will show up a fifth time to see a kohl-lined Johnny Depp,camping up some tropical beach,bopping pirates on the head. The faithful have gone away disappointed this time. How could Depp not say rum even once,complained an ardent young fan of the recently released fourth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. So will you see POTC 5? She looked at me pityingly. Of course I will. I sooo love Depp. Sigh.
We will come back for more. We always do. Sequels exert a seduction all their own. If the dishy Depp floats your boat,who cares if the film is a squelchy mess? If Carrie and her gal pals make you happy,youre probably already planning the Sex and The City 3 afterparty. People like me,nitpicking critics all,are to be ignored in this overwhelming rush to embrace what is already known. And at this point I have to admit that not all seconds suck. A podgy panda who is a kung fu expert,gearing to fight another villain,is still a sight for sore eyes : it helps that in Kung Fu Panda 2,Po is getting all set to cosy up to Tigress,leaving us with the delish possibility of a cross-species romance in the third part.
Prepare yourself for Hangover 3. In which the gang will migrate to some other exotic part of the globe,get blindingly blotto,wake up the next morning surrounded by frantic brides-to-be,with maybe a giraffe for company. Theyve done Asia. Time to move on to Africa. Are you Rrrready?
shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com
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