Genre: Comedy, Mystery
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha
Running Time: 100 minutes (plus trailers)
When Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) take their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha) to Las Vegas for his bachelor party, they declare it will be a night they will never forget. But when they wake up the next morning, their hotel room is trashed, the groom is missing and none of them have any idea what transpired the previous night. With the wedding scheduled for the very next day, the bumbling threesome have to race against the clock to uncover what they did, and more importantly, what they did with Doug. Clues include a stolen cop car, a tiger and a baby, and their hunt for answers leads them down an increasingly bizarre path involving drug dealers, effeminate Asian gangsters and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
The Hangover is funny. Not hilarious, but definitely funny. The best things about it are the performances by the three leads who are perfectly cast in their respective roles. Galifianakis gets the most laughs as the idiotic Alan – he definitely has a bright future ahead of him playing the retarded side kick. I was a little disappointed that Jeffrey Tambor (of Arrested Development fame) was criminally underused. He only appears in two scenes but is terrific in both. The other waste of talent was Heather Graham, who has the absolutely thankless task playing the stripper with a heart of gold. For the most part however, the minor characters are great, especially Ken Jeong as Mr Chow (you'll know him when you see him.)
The other thing that makes The Hangover work is the structure of the script. We find things out at the same time as the characters, and so we get to share their surprise. As the movie goes on, things get more and more ridiculous, but the audience accepts this because the characters are as confused as we are. The way the movie openly acknowledges its own absurdity ironically keeps it grounded in reality. None of the gags are particularly inspired, as the movie basically hits all the beats that you would expect from a comedy set in Las Vegas – from the Rain Man parody to the sub-plot involving Stu’s drunken marriage to a stripper. No, it's not original. But that doesn’t mean it isn't funny.
This movie isn’t going to blow peoples minds. It is a film that fits very neatly into that ever growing list of raunchy adult comedies being put out by the Hollywood system. It’s amusing but predictable, filled with offensive humour that won’t actually offend anyone. The music choices are obvious and the direction is sometimes pretty standard. But ultimately none of that really matters. The best way to describe The Hangover is to say that everyone involved does exactly what is required of them, and while it’s not going to have you shooting milk out of your nose, it will make you laugh pretty consistently. Which is all you should have been expecting in the first place.
The Hangover is in cinemas now
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha
Running Time: 100 minutes (plus trailers)
When Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) take their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha) to Las Vegas for his bachelor party, they declare it will be a night they will never forget. But when they wake up the next morning, their hotel room is trashed, the groom is missing and none of them have any idea what transpired the previous night. With the wedding scheduled for the very next day, the bumbling threesome have to race against the clock to uncover what they did, and more importantly, what they did with Doug. Clues include a stolen cop car, a tiger and a baby, and their hunt for answers leads them down an increasingly bizarre path involving drug dealers, effeminate Asian gangsters and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.The Hangover is funny. Not hilarious, but definitely funny. The best things about it are the performances by the three leads who are perfectly cast in their respective roles. Galifianakis gets the most laughs as the idiotic Alan – he definitely has a bright future ahead of him playing the retarded side kick. I was a little disappointed that Jeffrey Tambor (of Arrested Development fame) was criminally underused. He only appears in two scenes but is terrific in both. The other waste of talent was Heather Graham, who has the absolutely thankless task playing the stripper with a heart of gold. For the most part however, the minor characters are great, especially Ken Jeong as Mr Chow (you'll know him when you see him.)
The other thing that makes The Hangover work is the structure of the script. We find things out at the same time as the characters, and so we get to share their surprise. As the movie goes on, things get more and more ridiculous, but the audience accepts this because the characters are as confused as we are. The way the movie openly acknowledges its own absurdity ironically keeps it grounded in reality. None of the gags are particularly inspired, as the movie basically hits all the beats that you would expect from a comedy set in Las Vegas – from the Rain Man parody to the sub-plot involving Stu’s drunken marriage to a stripper. No, it's not original. But that doesn’t mean it isn't funny.This movie isn’t going to blow peoples minds. It is a film that fits very neatly into that ever growing list of raunchy adult comedies being put out by the Hollywood system. It’s amusing but predictable, filled with offensive humour that won’t actually offend anyone. The music choices are obvious and the direction is sometimes pretty standard. But ultimately none of that really matters. The best way to describe The Hangover is to say that everyone involved does exactly what is required of them, and while it’s not going to have you shooting milk out of your nose, it will make you laugh pretty consistently. Which is all you should have been expecting in the first place.
The Hangover is in cinemas now
