Hangover II: Bad Fiction, Films Fine - It's Bad Reality That Really Upsets

[skorchio]

I have not seen the movie but I intend to ASAP. I did read a few articles about it, and I am a big fan of the first movie, the Vegas trip.

It seems from reading the article that there is a strong sub-plot in the movie examining Thai people's relationship with the Monarchy, the lese Majeste laws and so on. Is this really a theme in the flic, or has the article's author gone completely off topic and just dribbled prosaic diarahea into the newspaper?

[skippybangkok]

The news paper article writer needs to get laid. It's a comedy for heavens sake.

They showed the highs ( great hotel in Krabi, great restaurant in BKK ) and of course the lows. Actually , for work I have been inthe slums, which is even worse than depicted.

[skorchio]

We should not wonder how it is possible to take a speedboat late at night from Krabi in the Andaman Sea- presumably sailing via the coast of western Malaysia, Singapore and eastern Malaysia into the Gulf of Thailand - and still arrive at Soi Cowboy before last orders the same night. Amazing! The return journey to Krabi in time for the wedding was also done at supersonic speed. Where did they refuel?

I suppose it is an expression of poetic license - in reality, if they decided that Soi Seadragon (with 2 or 3 decent gogos) off Bangla road was a suitable substitution, it is doable. I reckon 2.5 hrs at 30 knots (and a good navigator) from Krabi around the south of Phuket would get you into Patong beach, and its only 400m to be on a stool in Suzy Wongs getting your back slapped. In fact I think I will try it ....

[thaibeachlovers]

It's just a funny movie. They play on stereotypes because it makes people laugh. Many movies do this. Thai movies are no better when depicting 'farangs'.

Maybe the scenes where we see ladyboys, drugs and crime is more of shock to the locals than it is to people abroad watching this movie. I know all about the bad side of Bkk, and I know all about the good side.

Go into the movie with an open mind and just take the movie for what it is.

well spoken.....IT IS A MOVIE ! not a documentary !

on a rather mute point, the end credits featured a monk in some of the fotos, this didn't go down well with the Thai's in the cinema, maybe the producers should have been a little more 'tasteful' !

Great film though !

I think what was probably upsetting was that the "monk" was supposedly drinking alcohol.

I thought the movie was as funny as a bucket of vomit. Obviously trading on the success of the first one which I did like, they must of saved on the writers this time.

IMO the plot was full of holes, too many totally implausible scenarios eg the car chase sequence. The resort area looked to me like Phang Nga, but they supposedly took a speedboat to and from Bangkok in a couple of hours!

They messed up the continuity too. The trio left USA on a Jumbo, and arrived in a 2 engine plane.

Apart from the usual "Bangkok" panorama shots, the scenes could have been almost anywhere, with the exception of Tilac Bar on Soi Cowboy, which I know well. Wasn't a katoey bar when I used to hang out there, though.

All in all, glad I went on cheap day, as wasn't worth more than 100 bht.

[rkidlad]

It's just a funny movie. They play on stereotypes because it makes people laugh. Many movies do this. Thai movies are no better when depicting 'farangs'.

Maybe the scenes where we see ladyboys, drugs and crime is more of shock to the locals than it is to people abroad watching this movie. I know all about the bad side of Bkk, and I know all about the good side.

Go into the movie with an open mind and just take the movie for what it is.

well spoken.....IT IS A MOVIE ! not a documentary !

on a rather mute point, the end credits featured a monk in some of the fotos, this didn't go down well with the Thai's in the cinema, maybe the producers should have been a little more 'tasteful' !

Great film though !

I think what was probably upsetting was that the "monk" was supposedly drinking alcohol.

I thought the movie was as funny as a bucket of vomit. Obviously trading on the success of the first one which I did like, they must of saved on the writers this time.

IMO the plot was full of holes, too many totally implausible scenarios eg the car chase sequence. The resort area looked to me like Phang Nga, but they supposedly took a speedboat to and from Bangkok in a couple of hours!

They messed up the continuity too. The trio left USA on a Jumbo, and arrived in a 2 engine plane.

Apart from the usual "Bangkok" panorama shots, the scenes could have been almost anywhere, with the exception of Tilac Bar on Soi Cowboy, which I know well. Wasn't a katoey bar when I used to hang out there, though.

All in all, glad I went on cheap day, as wasn't worth more than 100 bht.

Yeap, all the locals gasped at the photos at the end of the movie. They had the monk in a go-go bar surrounded by cocaine, whores and alcohol.

I remember watching 'Father Ted' as a child and finding it so funny. I knew it was a comedy and was taking the piss out of the catholic church. I didn't take it seriously. It's basically showing humans being human but Ted himself trying to pretend he's holiar than thou. Of course they exaggerated a lot which made it even funnier.

If a society can't laugh at itself, it's obviously hiding something that they don't want people to know about. Thais for the most part know what's what in Thailand, but they won't talk about it in public. Therefore, it doesn't really happen, right? Unfortunately for the powers that be, foreigners in Thailand and abroad will talk.

Just a bit of fun.

[wlcart]

I thought the movie wasn't stereotypical enough!

This is Bangkok. While obviously there is a diverse and complex culture here just the same as anywhere else, Bangkok is Bangkok.

Somethings here are like no where else.

I lived in both vegas and bangkok for many years. Movies always show casino's in vegas, and well, in bangkok.......

[Buchholz]

I have not seen the movie but I intend to ASAP. I did read a few articles about it, and I am a big fan of the first movie, the Vegas trip.

It seems from reading the article that there is a strong sub-plot in the movie examining Thai people's relationship with the Monarchy, the lese Majeste laws and so on. Is this really a theme in the flic, or has the article's author gone completely off topic and just dribbled prosaic diarahea into the newspaper?

It's the latter as the former didn't happen anywhere in the film and has nothing to do with it.

[Tokay]

Considering everything they could have shown, they kept it fairly light.

It was a funny movie.

[anon8]

Hangover 2 is a mediocre movie and a bad comedy. Boring, unimaginitive stereotypes about Thailand and Bangkok make it even less funny.

For a good comedy check out Hall Pass, should be out this week and is available for download.

[FarmerJoe]

My Thai wife laughed her ass off. She knows full well what goes on here in the land of scams.She watches english movies all the time taking the piss out of their own country and countrymen. When I showed her the comments of some of the posters here about how the movie put Thailand in a bad light, I thought she was gonna puke she laughed so hard. It's a freekin movie, people. So I guess all the gem, tuk-tuk, cigarette butt, Grand Palace, jet ski, train, V.I.P. Bus, caged bird, metered taxi, airport scams, building burning, prostitution, riots, bag snatching, corruption, lady Boy gangs, horrible driving skills, etc... are none existant here. Excuse me while I stick my head in the toilet and vomit. As my wife also pointed out. How many times have we seen monks smoking and drinking. Not to mention the raping of falang women tourists years ago. Sorry if this offends some of you. But really. Get your heads out of the sand.

[arthurwait]

I've just seen it and only one other person in the cinema wasn't Thai. Everyone laughed at the jokes all the way through.

Not as good as the first, but it follows the same storyline so you know how it goes. It's worth a watch.

What does continuaty matter ? It's a comedy.

And no Tilac doesn't have katoys now and nor does the Boosar bar the other place with interior shots.

[samurai]

The news paper article writer needs to get laid. It's a comedy for heavens sake.

They showed the highs ( great hotel in Krabi, great restaurant in BKK ) and of course the lows. Actually , for work I have been inthe slums, which is even worse than depicted.

the headline has the writers point:

Bad Fiction, Films Fine - It's Bad Reality That Really Upsets

[thailandist]

Shame on Hollywood for not showing farmers walking into bullets, riots, politicians getting gunned down, tourists getting beaten and robbed, etc. That would have been a more accurate version to focus on, right?

[anon8]

Shame on Hollywood for not showing farmers walking into bullets, riots, politicians getting gunned down, tourists getting beaten and robbed, etc. That would have been a more accurate version to focus on, right?

sure! it would make a good, accurate documentary

as for the movie, it isn't that the stereotypes make it bad, or some peoples take how they make Thailand look bad.. it is just a bad movie. What is it about Bangkok that attracts talentless directors and bad script? Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage, shot in BKK also sucked. Bangkok would make a wonderful background for a movie, Hangover 2 just isn't it

[siddv]

Hard to believe that this movie was shot in Bangkok at all. How the heck do you shoot a two hour movie in BKK and not have one good looking girl in the final print, save for the bride. Even the very short scene shot in Tilac sucked, those fat girls in the background hardly impressed. I saw this in the US and did not get any impression whatsoever that any men living here would have any desire to book a trip if they have not been here before. Our secret is safe!!!

[Ponbkk]

It's kind of funny to me how this movie becomes a debate on it's depiction of Thai culture when in fact we should discuss how it exposes the defunct, infantile mentality prevalent in the west, American "culture" in particular, as if its something to be proud of.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Ponbkk

[chooka]

This article has nothing to do with the movie. It's just a dig at LM laws.

As soon as I saw who the author was I knew it would be that or some pro red cause

But sadly, as long as the pro Thaksin newspaper writers keep trying to turn even a harmless movie into some kind of political statement, the polarizing divisions of society will never ease. This kind of misdirection should not be allowed by a responsible editor. Keep it in the political arena where it belongs.

This is what makes me laugh about thaivisa farangs on here always find a way to divert every single negative that happens in Thailand squarely at the feet of the reds. Every topic will become a red/yellow issue. Thai politics are eating through the brains of some like a rampant cancer.

[chooka]

Hard to believe that this movie was shot in Bangkok at all. How the heck do you shoot a two hour movie in BKK and not have one good looking girl in the final print, save for the bride. Even the very short scene shot in Tilac sucked, those fat girls in the background hardly impressed. I saw this in the US and did not get any impression whatsoever that any men living here would have any desire to book a trip if they have not been here before. Our secret is safe!!!

Some parts were shot in the US my thai friend (trained blues/classical musician) from Chiangmai was flown to the US to do his short scene.

[chooka]

Hangover 2 is a mediocre movie and a bad comedy. Boring, unimaginitive stereotypes about Thailand and Bangkok make it even less funny.

For a good comedy check out Hall Pass, should be out this week and is available for download.

I guess you would have rather it have been made in the style of a Thai comedy with canned laughter. Maybe that would have been more realistic of thai culture.

[phillies]

It's just a funny movie. They play on stereotypes because it makes people laugh. Many movies do this. Thai movies are no better when depicting 'farangs'.

Maybe the scenes where we see ladyboys, drugs and crime is more of shock to the locals than it is to people abroad watching this movie. I know all about the bad side of Bkk, and I know all about the good side.

Go into the movie with an open mind and just take the movie for what it is.

well spoken.....IT IS A MOVIE ! not a documentary !

on a rather mute point, the end credits featured a monk in some of the fotos, this didn't go down well with the Thai's in the cinema, maybe the producers should have been a little more 'tasteful' !

Great film though !

The movie was funny, the katoey scene was classic ! But showing a Monk in a picture with girls in the final credits was really offending !

But then again Thais jump out of their seats instantly when any movie credits come on and hopefully missed that pic

[maswov]

Its not a documentary about BKK its a movie about drunk people that happen to be in BKK. You could say the same thing about the first one in Las Vegas. Lighten up!

[SAffer]

Bangkok is more than lower Sukhumvit.

Quite right, we have massage and girly bars all over the city. Mostly catering for locals!

[RaymondJeffreyKrapels]

I gotta tell ya, I watched this with my wife the other day and I could tell she was not amused. She found the movie's portrayal of Bangkok rather offensive and insulting.<div>And apart from the younger generation Thai that were present in the theater, you could sort of see the other Thai people cringe at some of the stuff in the movie and I could swear 1 or 2 people were trying to make themselves invisible, this is how embarrassed they were. It must be noted that even though all Thai people know that Bangkok has all these sinful pleasures to offer in abundance, they simply don't want to acknowledge the existence of such things. Yes, many Farang do come to Thailand and partake in these pleasures and they may even tell all their friends and family about their wonderful experiences in the land of smiles and this is the way Thailand continues to be a thriving tourist destination. On the other hand, there are many more Thai people that indulge in these pleasurable activities and everybody knows including their wives but nobody ever utters a word,................

Edited June 2, 2011 by RaymondJeffreyKrapels

[NanaFoods]

You mean they played-up all the bad aspects of Bangkok and left out the good one?

[Maiz183]

Why are so many people so boring.....if you didnt like the film and you thought it was rubbish....great!!! Well done you have an opinion!!! But if you saw the first one and then went to see the second one after all that copious use of various vices.....you hypocrite!!! Go and watch a flm about amazing Thailand 555

It wasnt a real true facts based film was it??? Or was it?? 555

Is James Bond a true fact based series of films? Or Dumbo a true fact based film?

Many people wont like the film and many will like the film!! FACT

Bangkok isnt a protected city.....its just a city, and a big one at that! Many things go on in all the cities round the world....ohhh so what if theres prostitution (illegal i should mention), theres also prostitution and drugs in Amsterdam ohhh sorry and every other major city round the globe......I would say the worst part of the film was the smoking monkey (poor git) how did he manage that I ask (cant see him going into the 7/11 and asking for L&M si faar khrap)

Get a grip everyone.........its a puppet 55555

People can be so boring sometimes!!!!!!!!

[themockrat]

I'm pretty sure if the government would have known that the movie would show prostitution and drugs, they would have arrested the actors while they were filming and would have locked them up on terrorism charges. They're probably all black-listed now and can't ever enter Thailand again.

After all, we know prostitution doesn't exist in Bangkok. Neither do drugs, elephants or monks.

[SabaiBKK]

This article has nothing to do with the movie. It's just a dig at LM laws.

Exactly .... and its also a very badly written article .... nonetheless about the movie i heard many complaints , mostly by farangs, that it didn't show the "real" bangkok .... the funny thing is that the same people didnt bat an eyelid at part one which was also not depicting the "real" las vegas

[Familyonthemove]

As many have said .... this is not a movie review, just a clumsy attempt at linking a popular movie with a purile political comment.

But - I thought the movie was eye-wateringly funny and so did the (almost entirely) Thai audience in a full Central World cinema.

We were all laughing at the inane antics of the 'Wolfpack' characters and very little, if any of the humour was at the expense of kon Thai.

Even the villains were ferangs so I don't see why any Thai should feel uncomfortable.

As as they say in the movie ..... a monkey biting a p**is is funny in any langauge!

Edited June 2, 2011 by Familyonthemove

[SabaiBKK]

I'm pretty sure if the government would have known that the movie would show prostitution and drugs, they would have arrested the actors while they were filming and would have locked them up on terrorism charges. They're probably all black-listed now and can't ever enter Thailand again.

After all, we know prostitution doesn't exist in Bangkok. Neither do drugs, elephants or monks.

Actually the film board must have know what the movie was about just by its famous title ... what I wonder is how did they get the filming permits ?

I am in the film industry here in Thailand and I know first hand that sometimes you have to doctor a script prior to give it for approval ... then while shooting you have the tourist police on set everyday to check you don't film anything detrimental to thailand ... but hey ... such a blockbuster has to be shot here since the industry is on its knees because of the 2010 riots. But i'm pretty sure that the same script without the success of the first part would have been reject first thing by the film board ... we have seen scripts rejected for way far less ... there is even a french familly comedy which had to avoid filming tuk tuk and temples so we would not recognise thailand just because the script talked about some sensitive aspects far less consequents than drugs and prostitution.

[anon8]

I guess you would have rather it have been made in the style of a Thai comedy with canned laughter. Maybe that would have been more realistic of thai culture.

I'd say Hangover 2 is very much a Thai style comedy, maybe not canned laughter, but jokes are lame and crude, a cookie cutter lazy film making just like most Thai comedies. Maybe slightly better but not much