The Hangover Part II same' has rarely been more accurately applied to a sequel than to "The Hangover Part II", which ranks as little more than a faded copy of its predecessor superimposed on a more brightly colored background". Christy Lemire of the Associated Press said, "Giving the people what they want is one thing. Making nearly the exact same movie a second time, but shifting the setting to Thailand, is just … what, lazy? Arrogant? Maybe a combination of the two". Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" also gave the film an average review stating, ""The Hangover Part II" plays like a challenge
The Hangover Part II 2009, Warner Bros. hired Todd Phillips, who directed "The Hangover", to write a sequel with Scot Armstrong. The deal, reached two months before the release of "The Hangover" in June 2009, came as result of "The Hangover"'s positive screen tests, and a trailer which drew a strong reaction from audiences at ShoWest. The writers from the first film, Scott Moore and Jon Lucas, decided not to come back to write the sequel because, according to Lucas, "they were done with that story…and didn't want to just write "Hangover" sequels their whole careers". "Variety" reported in July 2009, that production on