The Hangover Part II: The Wolfpack is Back, As Rowdy and Raunchy as Ever

By Addie Strong
May 26, 2011

Ed Helms as Stu, Bradley Cooper as Phil and Zach Galifianakis as Alan in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' comedy "The Hangover Part II" a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon
Justin Bartha as as Doug and Jamie Chung as Lauren.

If you thought things couldn’t get crazier than they did in Vegas, think again. The highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time returns with a sequel, opening today, and the world is waiting with open arms: Total eBay online auction listings for “The Hangover” are 31 percent in the past month and sales are up 26 percent in the same period.

In “The Hangover Part II,” the bachelor boys are back to celebrate another member of their inner circle’s wedding. But this time, they've vowed to learn from past mistakes and make the nuptials as tame as possible. All goes smoothly in Thailand, where the wedding is to take place the next day, until an exception is made for one round of beers during the non-alcoholic festivities. Next thing they know, the guys wake up in a dingy motel room with only vague recollections of the night before … and a missing brother of the bride.

The Hangover Part II, Trailer 2 (2011) HD (via YouTube)

In "The Hangover Part II," actor Ed Helms is back as Stu the dentist, the most innocent of the bunch, who fared the absolute worst in the original movie. (Remember the missing tooth and his accidental wedding to a stripper?) This time, Stu is marrying the lovely Lauren and has requested only a booze-free bachelor brunch in his honor. With vivid memories of their past bachelor party exploits, the crew honors Stu’s wishes … so imagine their surprise when they wake up with a wicked collective hangover the next day.

Stu again seems to bear the brunt of the trauma in the second installment of "The Hangover." While he woke up without a tooth in the last film, he wakes up with a giant—and real—tattoo across the side of his face in this one. (The tattoo looks remarkably like boxer Mike Tyson's, who had a role in the last "Hangover" film and appears in the credits for this one. And in an unusual turn, the tattoo's designer is suing the movie studio for copywright infringement.) At the sight of his new ink, Stu yells, to his trouble-causing friend, played by comic genius Zach Galifianakis, “Alan, what did you do?! Did you roofie me?”

The Hangover Part II

We’re sort of bummed to notice the lack of a baby carrier across Alan’s body in the "Hangover" sequel, since watching a clueless Alan trek across the Vegas strip with a baby-on-board was one of the most hysterical parts of the original "Hangover" movie. Another thing Alan's lacking in this new film is his famous head of out-of-control hair, as his head somehow gets shaved during the drunken festivities.

Last but certainly not least of the wolfpack, as this rowdy crew calls themselves, actor Bradley Cooper reprises his role in the brotherhood as bad-boy Phil. It was his part in the original “Hangover” two years ago that earned Cooper his solid A-list movie star status. Once again, he brings a certain sly sex appeal to the movie that would be missing without him.

Hangover 2

It remains to be seen as to whether Mike Tyson’s tiger from the original movie we make another appearance in this one, although another animal kingdom member appears to have scored star status in this version: A tiny, shrieking capuchin monkey in a denim vest joins the "Hangover" movie pack in their quest to retrace the previous night’s activities and find Stu’s brother-in-law.

The script already called for a wild adventure in Bangkok, but filming in the city added some real-life lunacy to the mix. First, nearly everyone on set was plagued by food poisoning. “It does something to your mind when you get that sick,” Ed Helms told Entertainment Weekly. “You go to a scared, dark place.” Indeed, Bradley Cooper even said this was the most challenging movie he’s ever participated in. “It was the hardest shoot I’ve ever done for sure,” he told EW. “Nothing ever even came close to it.” Fortunately, hard work often pays off, and we’re counting on Part II to rival the original in hilarity.

(Images courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon & Warner Bros. Pictures)

While no one can truly replicate the raunch of the “Hangover” movies, you can find tons of “Hangover”-inspired memorabilia on eBay. Here are some of our favorite eBay finds: