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For those of you needing a little hair of the dog…: The Hangover Part II

There isn’t much I can say about this one that you don’t already know. The Hangover is a very funny albeit uneven movie that provides exactly the sort of identifiable entertainment upon which all great comedy is based…except for the Mike Tyson part. You probably haven’t done that. The Hangover Part II is a money grab as the exact same characters from the original film (minus the hooker mama) head to Bangkok and wind up in new and ostensibly hilarious circumstances. I’m certain you also know by now that pervading opinion of the second movie is that it is a worst case scenario result. Still, it avoided the box office fate that befell the most recent iteration of this scenario, Little Fockers, by almost matching its predecessor in terms of domestic box office. Also, it earned over $100 million more worldwide. Since money is what matters in Hollywood, this sequel is deemed a success even if it may have significantly damaged the franchise in terms of perception. Then again, if you haven’t watched it, you’re going to watch it, so nothing I say here really matters. It is out. Get to it.

For Feathers McGraw, the evil doer who needs a lifemate: Mr. Popper's Penguins

On paper, this looked like a perfect project and I said as much upon its announcement. Then, the studio backed away from it, which was curious. Then, the trailer was released, which was regrettable. Jim Carrey with penguins seems like a money idea as the pet detective returns to interacting with the animal kingdom. In execution, however, this project is a giant mess of vanilla children’s entertainment. One of the penguins is even flatulent, just in case the movie was in danger of not being lowest common denominator enough. Still, it was made for a frugal $55 million, no small feat even if Jim Carrey’s quote is down a lot from his glory days. As such, a $68.2 million domestic performance is tolerable while a $210 million global take provides Mr. Popper’s Penguins with a much better fate than it deserves. Score this round for production budget frugality and watch the film if and only if you or your children or your children’s children love penguins. And if they do, push them toward Happy Feet if at all possible.

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