Thailand Is Sorta Embracing Its Hangover Part II Portrayal

Thanks to The Hangover Part II, Bangkok has been on the short end of jokes recently -- and not just because of its schoolyard-taunt friendly name. The film presents the Thailand capital as a city of squalor -- even referring to it as such -- filled with scum and villainy known only to Mos Eisley. But, guess what? It kinda sorta is -- at least according to the general-director of the Thailand tourism department.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, tourism general-director Supol Sripan said that he hadn't seen the film yet, though he didn't sound too surprised by its content. When told what The Hangover Part II showcases -- gangsters, transsexual hookers, elicit sexual encounters, child-sex trafficking jokes, and drug-dealing monkeys -- he responded, "Well, I suppose it's true. We have all those things."

Those things, in fact, are being pushed throughout the city, despite the fact that many residents of Bangkok were unhappy with the film's depiction of their home. (Some even want the film banned; take a number.) Per WSJ:

Already curb-side vendors are selling T-shirts emblazoned with a key line from the film--"Holla! City of Squalor"--while Bangkok's Boon Rawd Brewery Co. got a jump on the marketing rush by sponsoring the movie's release with its Singha Beer. Its slogan: "The Wolfpack's Favorite Six-Pack."

The Lebua hotel, which was featured in several scenes of the film, is meanwhile offering $19 "Hangovertini" cocktails and $2,200 "Hangover II" weekend packages in its luxury suites. Its three-bedroom "Hangover Suite" can fit up to six people and, according to a brochure, "offers a fully stocked minibar and ample space to party like the guys from 'The Hangover!'"

For reference, the Lebua hotel is not the flophouse that Stu, Alan and Phil woke up in following their night of debauchery; it's the hotel that gangster-cum-federal agent Paul Giamatti used as his headquarters. Much better!

All of which is to say Bangkok would do well to adopt one of the following two slogans: "Bangkok has you now!" or "Bangkok: It's kinda exactly like The Hangover Part II." Future potential Hangover Part III cities, this is what you have to look forward to.

· One Night in Bangkok Can Lead to Quite a 'Hangover' for Thailand [WSJ]