THE film franchise, which is an uproarious anthem to men behaving badly, speaks loud and clear to successive generations who have woken bleary-eyed and struggled to piece together fragmented memories of the night before.

Part III opens with Alan (Zach Galifianakis) suffering a mental breakdown in the aftermath of his father’s death, which prompts best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) to stage an intervention.

They intend to accompany Alan to the New Horizons medical facility, where he can seek professional help to overcome his grief.

En route the pals are forced off the road by a thug called Marshall (John Goodman), who holds Doug hostage in exchange for flamboyant criminal Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) and stolen gold bullion worth 21 million dollars.

With the clock ticking, Alan, Phil and Stu head to Tijuana and then back to Las Vegas to capture Chow and save Doug from a shallow grave in the desert.