After the life-threatening escapades of the first “Hangover” film, you’d think the “wolf pack” — played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis — would learn to take it easy when celebrating before a wedding. But “The Hangover Part II” finds the three in a familiar predicament — though in a very unfamiliar location.
In Thailand for Helms’ character’s wedding (at a plush resort), the three wake up in a run-down Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the night before — and once again missing a member of their party. The exotic location isn’t the only thing different about the sequel. “This movie is more about the dynamic of the three guys,” Cooper says. “Watching the first one, it could almost be boiled down to one joke. The whole movie’s a setup and the punch line is the credits. When you get to the end of this movie, I’m excited to see the credits, but that’s not what I’ve been thinking about the whole movie.”
Revisiting the characters meant getting to show different sides of them, something Galifianakis was thrilled about. “I think we all wanted to see us turning against each other a bit, which was fun to watch. It kind of calls for it,” he says.
Of course, what was most exciting for the co-stars was heading to the other side of the world to film. “I just fell in love with Bangkok. We spent two weeks in a resort town, and I couldn’t wait to get back to Bangkok,” Cooper says.
Settling into Bangkok, Cooper found himself eschewing the local cuisine. “I actually took a liking to Top Menu, which was a Chinese restaurant that I ate a lot at in Bangkok,” he says, though Helms is quick to dismiss his co-star’s culinary choices.
“It really is just like any Chinese takeout place in New York City,” Helms says. Of course, the “Office” star is a bit biased for good reason. “I had a very serious hurdle to get past the first week, which was severe food poisoning,” Helms says. “It never fully went away, and maybe I should just leave the rest up to your imagination.”
