---
title: "The Hangover Part III"
year: 2013
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-hangover-part-iii"
fi1m_id: "the-hangover-part-iii"
imdb_id: "tt1951261"
tmdb_id: 109439
wikidata_id: "Q2708940"
fi1m_score: 35
critics_score: 35
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-10-05T13:03:51.681276+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T13:03:52.292744+00:00"
region: "IT"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Hangover Part III (2013)

Directed by Todd Phillips · 1h 40m · MiC T · Comedy

## Identity

The Hangover Part III

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-hangover-part-iii
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-hangover-part-iii
- **IMDb ID:** tt1951261
- **TMDB ID:** 109439
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2708940
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951261/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/109439, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2708940

**Fi1m score: 35** · Critics 35 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* A hangover film with the drinking taken out, which turns out to have been the funny part

> Todd Phillips ends his trilogy by throwing out the blackout and the morning after, and most of the jokes go with them. What remains is a crime caper with a giraffe in it, a committed Zach Galifianakis, and perhaps three laughs in 100 minutes.

## Synopsis

Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) has stopped taking his medication. He buys a giraffe, tows it along the freeway under a low bridge, and causes a pile-up that makes the news. His family stages an intervention, and Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms) and Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) agree to drive him to a clinic in Arizona. On the road they are forced off the tarmac by Marshall (John Goodman), a gangster who says Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), newly escaped from a Bangkok prison, has stolen his gold. Marshall keeps Doug and gives the other three days to find Chow. Alan, who has been writing to Chow all along, knows roughly where to start.

## Review

Todd Phillips has said this is the end, and the poster agrees: “It all ends.” For the third film he throws out the engine of the first two, the wedding, the blackout and the morning spent working out what happened, and puts a crime story in its place. Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is off his medication, his friends drive him towards a clinic in Arizona, and a gangster called Marshall (John Goodman) stops the car. It is a brave change and it does not work. There are perhaps three real laughs in 100 minutes, and most critics have said as much.

Alan is now the whole show. Galifianakis plays him as he always has, flat, aggrieved, wounded by every ordinary request, and he is the only one of the leads who seems to believe he is in a comedy. The trouble is the dose. The script, credited to Phillips, Craig Mazin, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, cannot settle whether Alan is a grown man with a condition we are meant to feel for or a cartoon we are meant to laugh at, and builds every scene around him regardless. Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms stand to one side saying his name in weary disbelief. Justin Bartha is taken hostage early and spends another film off screen.

Ken Jeong’s Chow is promoted to co-lead, and the film opens with his escape from a Bangkok prison, in rain, through a riot, staged as straight action. It is well made and not funny, which sets the pattern. Chow worked in small filthy doses; at this length he tires, and then, in one scene, he is something else. He sings ‘Hurt’ at a karaoke bar, badly and to the end, and the camera stays on him. We did not laugh. We felt sorry for him, which no film in this series had managed before, and then the plot resumed. Goodman plays Marshall unsmiling and patient, and would be good in a thriller.

Lawrence Sher shoots it like a thriller too, wide and clean, the desert in hard afternoon light and Las Vegas at night as a real city. The frames are handsome, and that is the problem: a comedy needs a little mess for things to go wrong in, and nothing goes wrong here that was not scheduled. Christophe Beck’s score pushes under the chases as if a bomb were ticking. Jeff Groth and Debra Neil-Fisher cut to a reaction shot and wait for the laugh, and we felt the silence each time. We were bored by the long middle, which is mostly three men in a car explaining where Chow might be.

There are two laughs we can vouch for. The first is the giraffe, which Alan has bought and is towing along the freeway when it meets a low bridge. We laughed out loud and then felt slightly grubby, because the pile-up behind it is shot as a real crash with people in it. The second is Melissa McCarthy as Cassie, a pawnbroker who meets Alan and recognises something in him. Their scene, two people sharing a lollipop as though it were a candlelit dinner, is the only one in the film where the timing is right and nobody gets hurt. Louise Mingenbach dresses them as a matched pair, cardigans and bad hair, and for once the joke is in the picture.

The rest of the cast is wasted in the ordinary way. Jeffrey Tambor is gone before he can be funny. Mike Epps returns as Black Doug for a few lines, and Heather Graham’s Jade says hello and leaves. Raj Uppal and Maher Ahmad’s production design gives the chase a string of tidy rooms, a pawnshop, a villa, a cell, none of which anyone wrecks. The film is mean where the first was merely crude, and it is not funny enough to get away with it.

[*The Hangover*](https://film.one/film/the-hangover) (2009) was a mystery with a hangover for an engine, and [*The Hangover Part II*](https://film.one/film/the-hangover-part-ii) (2011) ran the same engine again in Bangkok. Phillips was right that it could not be done a third time. A chase was not the answer, because nobody here, on screen or off, cares about Marshall’s gold. Fans who have followed Alan and Chow this far will get more of both and may find that enough. Everyone else should take the tagline at its word. It all ends, and we were relieved.

*Fi1m score 35, published 5 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is The Hangover Part III worth watching?**

*The Hangover Part III* is not worth watching for anyone outside the series' faithful, and we scored it 35. Todd Phillips drops the blackout and the morning after for a crime caper, and most of the jokes go with them; we counted perhaps three laughs in 100 minutes. Fans who want more of Alan and Mr. Chow will get it, and may find that enough.

**How long is The Hangover Part III, and what is it rated?**

*The Hangover Part III* runs 1h 40m and is rated T by the MiC in Italy. It is a comedy film.

**Where can I watch The Hangover Part III in Italy?**

*The Hangover Part III* is streaming on HBO Max, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in Italy, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Hangover Part III compare to The Hangover?**

*The Hangover Part III* is the weaker film by some distance, and [*The Hangover*](https://film.one/film/the-hangover) is the one to watch. The original was a mystery with a hangover for an engine, fast and frequently funny; the third throws that engine out, puts a gangster and a chase in its place, and finds that nobody cares about the gold. Both belong to Zach Galifianakis, but only the first gives him something to steal.

**What should I watch after The Hangover Part III?**

After *The Hangover Part III*, try [*The Hangover*](https://film.one/film/the-hangover) (2009, Fi1m 72): The original mystery, when not knowing what happened the night before was the whole joke. Then [*Midnight Run*](https://film.one/film/midnight-run) (1988, Fi1m 88): The chase comedy this wanted to be: two men, one car, real jokes; and [*Bridesmaids*](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids) (2011, Fi1m 82): Melissa McCarthy given a whole film to do what she does here in five minutes.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **Evening Standard**, The Standard (65/100, inferred): The critic finds this final instalment unexpectedly funny and a darker, less raunchy change of direction. Galifianakis’s smart performance and Alan’s bizarre character are singled out as what makes the film work despite its muddled plot. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-hangover-part-iii-film-review-8630431.html)
- **Screen Daily**, John Hazelton (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable. The paywall prevents identifying anything the critic praised or criticized. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-hangover-part-iii/5056321.article)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (C): Dowd judges the film a creatively depleted, largely unfunny sequel that only marginally changes the franchise formula. He singles out the opening prison escape as its most entertaining moment, while noting that Galifianakis is the only lead who seems committed. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-hangover-part-iii-1798176881)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Lee Davies (2/5): The critic finds it passable but lacking standout moments or inventive comedy. Galifianakis is singled out for stealing the show, while the other leads seem distracted. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-hangover-part-iii)
- **Radio Times**, Karen Krizanovich (2/5): Krizanovich finds the finale disappointing, saying it anticipates comedy rather than delivering genuine laughs. She faults the running time devoted to plot and exposition despite the top-notch cast. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-9tth3y/the-hangover-part-iii/)
- **Total Film**, Matthew Leyland (2/5): Leyland finds the film less funny and less cohesive than its predecessors, though not entirely without laughs. He praises Zach Galifianakis’s performance but says Alan’s dominance weakens the group’s chemistry. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-hangover-part-iii-review/)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (30/100, inferred): Richards finds the film a brave departure from the series but ultimately disappointingly unfunny. He praises the chemistry among the central trio, while criticizing the muddled tone and discordant group dynamic. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hangover-part-iii-review/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (1/4): Cabin finds the sequel disposable, with its attempts at moral reckoning undermined by passivity and repetitive callbacks. He singles out Chow’s karaoke performance of “Hurt” as an effective, chilling moment. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-hangover-part-iii/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Andy Klein (20/100, inferred): Klein finds the film a stale, disappointing sequel that has lost what made the original work. He particularly criticizes the excessive focus on Alan and Chow, though he praises Melissa McCarthy in her small role. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/entertainment/tn-gnp-0524-film-review-going-to-the-hangover-well-too-often-story.html)
- **The Guardian**, Steve Rose (20/100, inferred): Rose finds the film a dull, unfunny trudge and a disappointing end to the franchise. He singles out Alan as an original, unsettling comic creation, while criticizing the film’s flat gags and subdued Mr Chow. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/23/hangover-part-3-review)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Farber (20/100, inferred): Farber finds the sequel a desperate, pallid disappointment with few laughs. He singles out Melissa McCarthy’s cameo as one of the film’s only bright spots. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-review-hangover-part-iii-524788/)
- **Time Out**, David Fear (1/5): The review gives the film one star, indicating a strongly negative verdict. Its available description contrasts the original’s gross-out comic success with sequel-making, but the specific criticism is unavailable. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-hangover-part-iii)
- **Variety**, Andrew Barker (10/100, inferred): Barker finds the film nearly laugh-free and a pointlessly convoluted end to the franchise. He praises the elegant cinematography and aerial stunt work, while singling out Melissa McCarthy’s scene as a standout. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-the-hangover-part-iii-1200482799/)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (10/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film largely humorless and calls it a disappointing failure. He singles out Todd Phillips’s polished, ambitious visual style, which he says overwhelms the comedy. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/05/movie-review-the-hangover-3.html)
- **The Wrap** (65/100, inferred): The review finds the third film entertaining, but says its fun fades as the overcomplicated plot drags in the second half. It singles out Zach Galifianakis’s Alan, especially his scene with Melissa McCarthy, as the film’s biggest delight. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/hangover-part-iii-review-thank-god-peculiar-perverse-and-outrageously-funny-galifianakis/)
- **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (3/5): The review finds the sequel entertaining in flashes but overlong and less inventive than the first film. It praises the finale’s high-energy spectacle, while criticizing the loss of the original’s mystery and motivated chaos. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a483904/the-hangover-3-review-digital-spy-verdict/)
- **/Film**, Russ Fischer (4/10): Fischer finds the sequel an uneven, often tedious descent into madness rather than a successful comedy. He praises Zach Galifianakis’s unsettling portrayal of Alan, while faulting the film for playing Alan’s troubling condition for laughs. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/526390/the-hangover-part-iii-review-swerving-from-comedy-into-madness/)
- **Eye for Film**, Merlin Harries (25/100, inferred): Harries finds the third instalment stale and less funny than the original, with cheap laughs and inscrutable violence. He complains that Chow’s sinister turn strips away the character’s whimsical charm. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-hangover-part-iii-2013-film-review-by-merlin-harries)
- **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (1/5): Brew finds the film lazy, unpleasant and unfunny, despite its attempt to break from the previous sequel’s formula. He singles out the promising cast and a few early comic moments, but says the gags mostly fall flat and Jeffrey Tambor is underused. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-hangover-part-iii-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Todd Phillips
- **Director:** Todd Phillips
- **Writer:** Craig Mazin, Todd Phillips, Scott Moore, Jon Lucas
- **Cinematography:** Lawrence Sher
- **Editor:** Jeff Groth, Debra Neil-Fisher
- **Music:** Christophe Beck
- **Production design:** Maher Ahmad, Raj Uppal
- **Costume design:** Louise Mingenbach
- **Producer:** Todd Phillips, Daniel Goldberg
- **Cast:** Bradley Cooper as Phil Wenneck; Ed Helms as Stu Price; Zach Galifianakis as Alan Garner; Justin Bartha as Doug Billings; Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow; John Goodman as Marshall; Melissa McCarthy as Cassie; Jeffrey Tambor as Sid Garner
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **Certificate (MiC):** T
- **Release (Italy):** 30 May 2013
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Budget:** $103 million
- **Box office:** $362 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96TelFMZwHc

## Where to watch in Italy

- HBO Max: streaming, uhd
- Netflix: streaming
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy €7.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy €7.99, hd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Hangover* (2009), Fi1m 72: The original mystery, when not knowing what happened the night before was the whole joke — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-hangover.md)
- *Midnight Run* (1988), Fi1m 88: The chase comedy this wanted to be: two men, one car, real jokes — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/midnight-run.md)
- *Bridesmaids* (2011), Fi1m 82: Melissa McCarthy given a whole film to do what she does here in five minutes — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bridesmaids.md)
- *In Bruges* (2008), Fi1m 83: Gangsters, guilt and a hostage of sorts, and the jokes land because the people matter — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-bruges.md)
- *Withnail & I* (1987), Fi1m 88: The best hangover ever filmed, in a Camden flat and a Cumbrian cottage, no giraffe required — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-hangover-part-iii