Shame On Me

I wish I could be more generous about "The Hangover Part 2," but I really despised this movie. And not because it is crude and vulgar - okay, I get what it is trying to do in terms of its "shock value." I am by no means a prude, and I accepted the raunchy jokes. My main problem with the movie is that I never believed a single frame of it. I thought the writing was lazy, relying on raunch in exchange of a believe plot. This movie is based on a template, not a story. It insultingly mirrors the framework of the same movie, it's as if they were too scared to deviate from the formula for fear it will lose even an iota of its audience. I am not going to pretend and say I am part of the target market of this movie. Still, I came into the movie theater expecting some kind of entertainment, and sadly, never got it. Maybe because I just thoroughly dislike Zach Galifanakis, and I felt that way about him too in "Due Date," which I couldn't finish. I thought maybe Bradley Cooper's piercing blue eyes would keep me entertained, but even that couldn't keep my interest. Above all, I just could not tolerate the blatant homophobia of this movie. It was evident, too, in the first one, and you know what they say about fool me twice, shame on me. This movie made 137 Million Dollars over the Holiday Weekend, so I am petrified about the effect it has on the hate it spews on its target audience. On my way out, a teenage group of guys were talking about it, and apparently shared my dislike of the film, with one of the young boys even saying "It was just not believable." I hope he shares that sentiment with the rest of his peers.