‘Hangover’s’ Wolfpack calls it a day

COOPER, GALIFIANAKIS AND HELMS. Return to where their misadventures began.

You know that a film franchise is grasping at straws when its latest installment revolves around its most annoying characters and rips off its own jokes.

In “The Hangover Part III,” Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Chow (Ken Jeong) take center stage as the series wraps up its wacky tale. This time, however, as its tagline reveals, “there’s no wedding, no bachelor party”—heck, there isn’t even much of a story to stretch!

So, director Todd Philips reunites Alan with Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug (Justin Bartha) and hauls them off to Vegas, where it all began for the rambunctious quartet four years ago. But, we’re getting ahead of the story.

As we know all too well by now, Kafkaesque situations aren’t uncommon where the Wolfpack is involved. The boys’ latest misadventure starts after Alan gets himself a pet giraffe and it’s accidentally decapitated on the freeway.

Bizarre incident

The ensuing ruckus that results from the bizarre incident makes his humiliated father kick the bucket—a wakeup call that convinces Alan’s friends to take him to a treatment center that could address his seemingly deteriorating mental condition as a result of his noncompliance with his psychiatric regimen.

Alan’s loony actions are the least of their worries, however—especially after crime lord, Marshall (John Goodman), with his gun-toting masked men in tow, runs the group off the road and kidnaps Doug to compel them to find the coke-sniffing Leslie Chow, who has just broken out of a Bangkok prison.

The Chinese gangster has stolen millions of dollars’ worth of gold bars from Marshall—and he wants them back! How does the bungling foursome factor into this befuddling equation? Unknown to Phil, Stu and Doug, Alan has been exchanging letters and e-mails with lonely Chow during his incarceration.

Romantic match

A bumpy, bungle-tangled adventure follows as Phil and the gang search for the elusive sociopath—from Tijuana to Las Vegas, where Alan meets his romantic match in the person of pawnshop clerk, Cassie (the scene-stealing Melissa McCarthy). She may be as obnoxious and foul-mouthed as Alan, but she inexplicably keeps him sane.

The franchise’s final installment is a saner, more comprehensible retread of its predecessor—unfortunately, it’s neither as funny nor as engaging. It goes around in dizzying circles as it tries to milk novel excesses that have long overstayed their welcome.

It’s been a fun ride, but it’s high time for the crazy quartet to move on, grow up and, like Stu’s ex-stripper wife Jade (Heather Graham), lead productive lives. —After all, the actors who portray them have already found fame and fortune due to the Wolfpack’s inanities!

The movie’s telling epilogue winkingly forewarns: Never say never. But, as Phil boldly declares, “Don’t worry, it all ends tonight”—and we sure hope he means it!