Cast looks forward to new roles

By John Anderson

Newsday

Throughout humankind’s long experience with debauchery, indulgence and self-destruction, there has never been a problem with hangover withdrawal. “Hangover” withdrawal? That may be another issue.

But we simply have to face it: With Thursday’s opening of “The Hangover Part III,” the comedy series about (almost) ordinary guys in remarkably screwed-up situations, ends a lucrative run that began in 2009 in Las Vegas, continued in 2011 in Bangkok and now takes a swing into Tijuana before landing back in Vegas. It’s the end of the road trip. There will be no Part IV. No prequels, no sequels. No “Hangover” Christmas Special. They will be moving on.

The Oscar-nominated Cooper, who has played high school teacher Phil Wenneck for all three “Hangover” films, will be appearing soon alongside his “Silver Linings Playbook” co-star Jennifer Lawrence in “Serena.” Zach Galifianakis — “The Hangover’s” bizarre child-man Alan Garner — has the comedy “You Are Here” coming up; Justin Bartha, who plays Doug Billings, stars as punk rocker Stiv Bators in the upcoming “CBGB” movie, and Ed Helms — who plays Stu, the nervous Dockers-wearing nerd with the face tattoo — has, among other things, the pot comedy “We’re the Millers” with Jennifer Aniston.

The success of the “Hangover” films may have to do with the way the characters clash and complement each other. Phil is handsome and confident, Stu less so and unsure of himself, and Alan is all naked id and consistently inappropriate. Together, they sort of make up one whole person.

“I never thought of it that way,” said Helms, “but I do think the reason why this movie resonates for people is that, on a superficial level, these characters are very much recognizable archetypes, with the cool guy, a nerd and a weirdo. Hopefully, we brought a little more nuance to it than just that, but I think more than it being different sides of a single personality, it’s more that they’re all universally recognized types. And,” he jokes, “Bradley is clearly the nerd.”