Justin Bartha (�National Treasure� films) returns as Doug - the groom who was stuck on the rooftop of Caesars Palace after his bachelor party � in Warner Bros.� highly anticipated sequel, �The Hangover Part II.�
�The first movie has become such a part of popular culture, but I think if anyone can top it, it�s [director] Todd Phillips, and he has,� says Bartha. �Even just reading the script made us laugh so hard, because it just takes these guys so much farther over the edge.�
In the film, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu�s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don�t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can�t even be imagined.
In spite of the potential for disaster, Doug guilts Stu into inviting Alan to the wedding. �He makes it nearly impossible for Stu not to invite Alan because he is, after all, Doug�s brother-in-law,� Bartha relates. �Doug doesn�t think there could be any harm in Alan coming along. Fortunately for Doug, he doesn�t end up paying the price when everything goes terribly wrong.�
As in the first movie, Doug again misses out on the worst of it - that is, if you don�t count being trapped for hours on a roof in the Vegas sun. Says Phillips, �We needed Doug to be the voice of sanity and reason�to be the anchor keeping everyone at the hotel relatively relaxed and at bay. The downside is that Justin is so good and so funny, but in these movies he�s either stuck on the roof or is safely back at the hotel.�
�Doug is probably the most even-keeled out of all the guys,� Bartha says. �I always see him as the equalizer. He�s always trying to even out a situation and make everything better, but obviously it�s gotten out of hand again. So, he�s Phil, Stu and Alan�s connection to what�s going on here with the wedding. But, yeah, they go to hell and back. Doug�s heart is with them though - support from afar.�
Bartha became excited about making �The Hangover Part II� when the guys were reunited and ready to shoot the further adventures of Phil, Stu, Doug and Alan. �Todd never changes, no matter what you throw at him,� the actor says. �He has a very strong point of view with what he wants and he knows funny better than anyone. So, I think from the get-go, there was an awareness of what he wanted to achieve because there are such high expectations from the first one. He�s really sensitive to honoring `The Hangover� and what it has become, because people love it so much now. He wants to push himself and push everyone to make this movie bigger, better, funnier, faster and crazier.�
�Todd is the leader of the Wolfpack,� Justin Bartha affirms. �When we�re shooting, he gets as close to the edge of frame as possible, and when he has an idea, he�ll just spit it out in the middle of the action. I think that lends an immediacy to the scenes and makes the whole thing so alive.�
Opening across the Philippines on June 8, �The Hangover Part II� is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
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