Where “The Hangover 2” Should Hang Out: Our International Picks

 
To absolutely no one’s surprise, recent reports have it that “The Hangover”—the raunchy, dizzy Las-Vegas-based gross-out flick that quickly became the most profitable comedy in box-office history—is going to be giving birth to a sequel, set to debut late this year. Already, rumors have it that the second round of mystery and debauchery will take place in Thailand—a logical next step after Vegas given the country’s well-earned reputation for combining tropical heat, beautiful beaches, late-night revelry, sex industry, and exotic flora and fauna. Just think of it—Zach Galifinakis in a sarong chasing a macaques monkey holding a overnight bag full of opium through the rainforest, an unconscious Thai hooker with a heart of gold slung over his shoulder. The movie practically writes itself. Still, we’ve got some other locations that, though they may be more of a stretch, might offer Galifinakis and company might enjoy for some more high-culture, lowbrow kicks.


 
LOCATION: Rome, Italy
WHY: In the footsteps of Caravaggio, indeed. Putting aside all the ancient ruins and frescoes for a moment, Rome was a city partially founded on a long, long history of drink and debauchery. From Nero to the aforementioned painter, the Eternal City has long been the city of the eternal buzz and, rife with dark Italian beauties, vino, and world heritage sites to crash limousines into.
KEY SCENE: Running from the Swiss Guards after flooding the Sistine Chapel with baby oil, Alan (Galifinakis) bolts pantsless toward the alter of St. Peter’s Basilica where he encounters the Pope who promptly excommunicates him and uses his giant golden staff to strike him in the genitals.
 
LOCATION: Hong Kong, China
WHY: As busy and bright as Vegas with a far more colorful supporting cast of gamblers, businessmen, Chinese government officials, singers, and martial arts experts, Hong Kong can offer the gang a chance to skip from boat to boat in the harbor as they try to track down where they were last night and why everyone in the local film industry seems to think they’re Russian mafia.
KEY SCENE: Stu (Ed Helms) awakes to find himself lost, alone, and dressed in a Lycra bodysuit in the tumbledown Tsim Sha Tsui district where he collides with a drunken rickshaw driver (played by Jackie Chan) who promptly gives him a spectacular, slow-motion roundhouse kick to the genitals.
 
LOCATION: Angkor Wat, Cambodia
WHY: The shrines and ancient spires of this holy site almost blend in with the surrounding jungles, creating an otherworldly cityscape that provides achingly beautiful and spiritually transformative experiences for all who visit. Watching director Todd Phillip’s boys stumble, bumble, and puke their way over this unique scared site after a night of peyote-fueled mayhem in a harried chase after Heather Graham would delight as many people as it would piss off, ensuring a good opening weekend.
KEY SCENE: Phil (Bradley Cooper) shaves his head an dons the saffron robes of a monk in a strange bid to win the heart of a religious tour guide, only to find out, after taking vows, that she moonlights as a stripper in a hidden underground nightclub called “Buddha’s Basement”. Cooper jumps onstage, where an irate midget bouncer headbutts him in the genitals.
 
LOCATION: New York City, U.S.A.
WHY: Um, because it’s New York, the City That Never Sleeps where the bars stay open late, celebrity cameos await on every other block, and where even small local events become national news. The most photographed city in the world is the perfect host for any late-night adventure in sleazy fun.
KEY SCENE: All three of our heroes follow a trail of clues through abandoned subway tunnels, Central Park and innumerous grungy alleys trying to determine what happened after they slammed a celebratory shot of Goldschlager atop the Empire State Building. A mad dash through the Metropolitan Museum of Art ends when the gang finds a secret stash of stolen gold bullion under the Temple of Dendur, earning them the key to the city, bestowed upon them by Ivanka Trump, who punches them all in the genitals.
 
To explore a world of movie locations, pick up any of the books from our FILM + TRAVEL series and create an international madcap adventure of your own.