Stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Mason Lee
Running time: 101 mins
Rating: ***

THE location has changed but the jokes remain much the same in this sequel to the raucous 2009 comedy about a disastrous stag do in Las Vegas that became a surprise global hit.

Never again, says dentist Stu (Ed Helms) of his pre-wedding celebrations as he prepares to marry Lauren (Jamie Chung) in Thailand.

This time he’ll have a non-alcoholic breakfast brunch instead of a bachelor party. If he wanted that then he really shouldn’t give in and let Alan (Zach Galifianakis), who behaves like a spoilt and unstable schoolboy, come to the ceremony.

It’s with a sense of dread we watch Stu, Alan, Phil (Bradley Cooper) and the bride’s 16-year-old genius brother Teddy (Mason Lee) fly out to Thailand a few days before the wedding.

So far so good. Okay, so the bride’s father hates Stu, but trouble with the in-laws isn’t so rare. But the idea of just having one drink and some toasted marshmallows on the beach proves the wrong thing to do to mark his impending marriage.

Next morning Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in a dingy hotel room in Bangkok with terrible hangovers and absolutely no recollection of what went down the night before.

There are clues – Stu has a tattoo on his face, a severed finger is on the table and a cigarette-smoking monkey won’t leave them alone. They also discover an old friend, Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) who caused them no end of problems in the first film. His influence is just as problematical this time as the trio find sore heads are the least of their worries. They’ve lost Teddy and somehow become caught up in a drugs deal involving the local criminal fraternity.

There’s a car chase, a return to a sleazy club where something unspeakable happened to Stu (far more alarming than losing his tooth in the first film). I’ll just say one word: ladyboy.

Like most sequels, The Hangover Part II lacks the surprise of the original.

Director Todd Phillips doesn’t attempt to mess with the format that made the first one so popular. All he does is change the location.

If you like your humour rude, crude and pandering to stereotypes, then the film will tickle your fancy. Those looking for sophisticated fare should steer well clear.