The Hangover 3 Reviews Are In—Critics Are Drunk With Scorn for Sequel

Trilogy capper earns scathing reviews

By Josh Grossberg May 23, 2013 2:30 PMTags
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Based on the overwhelmingly negative critical reaction to their latest bro-tastic adventure, it seems the Wolfpack have lost their comedic bite. 

The Hangover Part III is now in theaters, reuniting Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis in Las Vegas for another day of mayhem and debauchery.

But alas, like lukewarm beer that's lost its fizz, the comedy has left a bad taste with most critics, who—like they did with its predecessor, The Hangover Part II—offered scathing appraisals.

E! News rounds up some of the most damning reviews. Read on!

• "These superannuated party animals try vainly to stir up some enthusiasm during a return visit to Las Vegas, the site of the first Hangover movie. But their heart isn't in it," wrote Stephen Holden of The New York Times, who called it a "dull, lazy walkthrough" that has "a claim to be the year's worst star-driven movie."

• "The good news is that The Hangover Part III isn't a rerun like the second episode. The bad news is everything else. For all the promise of mayhem and WTF moments, the final episode hits you with all the force of a warm can of O'Doul's," opined Kyle Smith of the New York Post.

• "Young viewers looking for unbridled raunch will be sadly disappointed, and so will other moviegoers expecting more than a few wan chuckles. This picture is like a brightly colored balloon with all the comic air seeping out," panned Stephen Farber in The Hollywood Reporter, who also took issue with the film's "cavalier attitude toward the killing of animals." 

• "Humor feels like an afterthought: Galifianakis' clueless manchild act, always a winner, feels pitifully DOA, while Cooper and Helms, having realized they could play their respective douche-dude and nebbish roles in their sleep, proceed to do just that," wrote David Fear in Time Out New York.

• "As a Sin City romp, it's too tame. And as a 'very special' ode to Alan's journey to responsibility, it's a miscalculation of what fans want from a series featuring a smoking monkey," critiqued Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly, who gave it a B-.

• "[Director Todd] Phillips and co-writer Craig Mazin have placed the unusual challenge on themselves of trying to create something bold and new while simultaneously remaining true to the trilogy and wrapping it all up in a satisfying way. They succeed somewhat; simply trying to be creative marks a huge improvement from part two," countered Christy Lemire of the Associated Press, one of the few critics to actually praise it.

• "It's more a road movie with action elements than a comedy, and the debauchery of the first two films is missing," wrote Claudia Puig of USA Today.