mrtimlarabee

The Hangover was a one joke premise that stretched into a slew of laughs. It's safe to say that a similar premise would work and be equally as funny. The problem with "The Hangover II" is that it has some good jokes, and its enjoyable to watch, but, like an all too faithful cover song, it's wayyyy too familiar and it lacks originality.

My real issue with it is that the premise is too similar to the first. Guys take bride/groom brother with them, have wild night, forget everything, have to find him. The repeat premise and some of the gags are almost cringeworthy. It's almost as if it's the same script with a little cut and paste work done on the gags for good measure.

But some of the jokes are funny. Most of the humor works because the guys are discovering what they did for the evening and forgot. It's when we see this stuff that we laugh. A couple of the outrageous moments involving Stu are hilarious.

But then there's that stuff that drags or the stuff that's too derivative. What's the deal with Paul Giamatti - such a great actor in a small part without much to do. Or the fact that some of their hijinks involves more action than humor that it seems the film, as we near the end, is going through the motions.

Perhaps the first one relied so heavily on the premise that it became a novelty film, and shouldn't have been repeated so faithfully. If there is a Hangover 3, it better have a big dose of originality. If they tried to imitate the premise again, wed end up in Friday the 13th land..and I don't think I could take another 10 of these.

I don't think Heathers ever intended to be an important movie. It's a dark comedy probably meant to take a stab at high school rom coms of the 1980s more than anything else, with a hint of social satire for good measure. Yet it's one of those films that repeat viewings scream irony after watching the news.

For the uninitiated, Heathers is a subversive black comedy that pokes fun at high school cliques and the faux "coming together" that sometimes results from a tragedy at a school, particularly in regards to teenage suicide. It was a career starter for Christian Slater and Wynona Ryder, while being laced with enough great dialogue to influence an array of writers - well, if not, at least Diablo Cody.

The film takes particularly aim at the elitist clique of girls, while taking a brief jab at jocks. JD and Veronica are that voice in the heads of so many, doing to these groups what many only imagine. JD creepily wears black clothing and at one point in the film, is carrying a bag full of something we only dread hearing about on the news.

Heathers was funny initially. Over time, it's become a cautionary tale, yet never rising to the level of significance that it should. Heathers successfully gets into the head of would be school bombers and the danger of cliques and exclusive groups. In a time where teen suicides are making news again due to these exclusive groups' persecution of others, the film takes on a whole new relevance.

The writing is sharp and dares to speak uncomfortable truths that resonate with the youth not only of the 80s, but also of today. Whether accidental or on purpose, the film is still important. It doesn't really offer a hero or even hope at the end. While the ending seems a little uncertain about how to handle any of our problems, the mere airing of our own dirty laundry provides topic for discussion. Despite the dated music and fashion, this film deserves a repeated viewing or two in this day and age.