The Hangover Part II Movie Math

Loved The Hangover, but wish the baby had been a monkey instead? Then you’ll be tickled pink by The Hangover Part II — except this time, there’s also a Cosmo-flavored twist. Let’s examine the evidence:

1. Every single plot point, joke, and twist that appears in Hangover The First is either recycled wholly or replaced by a direct analog in the sequel. This time, Doug (Justin Bartha) is present and accounted for, but Teddy (Mason Lee) has gone missing; instead of awaking to find he’s lost a tooth, Ed Helms’s character awakes to find he’s gotten a sick face tattoo; a kidnapped tiger becomes a kidnapped Thai monk; sweet prostitute Jade (Heather Graham) is swapped for statuesque prostitute Kimmy (Yasmin Lee); etc., etc., etc. Both films also include an impromptu song composed and performed by Helms’s character, a scene featuring a naked Ken Jeong, a shady Middle Eastern character played by Bryan Callen — though, bizarrely, he has a different name in each film — and a surprise (…ish) Mike Tyson cameo. Frequently, Part II just feels like a shot-by-shot remake of Part I. No wonder characters in the former keep saying things like, “I can’t believe this is happening again!

2. There are a few differences between the films, though. Number 2 is even cruder and more mean-spirited than its predecessor; it’s also, as you undoubtedly already know, set in Thailand, an exotic locale that’s alternately depicted as idyllic and backward. So it seems appropriate to multiply The Hangover by the second Sex and the City movie, another major franchise sequel that knows a thing or two about Orientalism and excess. Also, Doug is totally Part II‘s Charlotte.