The first time I saw a trailer for The Hangover, I thought some of the things in it were funny, but I really wasn't interested in seeing it. I thought the movie would just end up being stupid and I had no plans to see it. After the movie came out, I started reading positive reviews talking about how funny the movie was. The more I read about it, the more I started to change my mind about seeing it. I finally went to see it and I'm glad I did.
Two days before his wedding to Tracey, Doug heads to Las Vegas with his two friends and future brother-in-law for a bachelor party. The guys plan to be there over night, but something goes very wrong. When Alan, Phil, and Stu wake up the next morning, they have no idea what happened the night before. The room is in shambles, there is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in a closet, Stu is missing a tooth, and Doug is nowhere to be found. The three guys discover a clue and start trying to retrace their steps the night before in an attempt to find Doug in time for the wedding.
It is worth staying through the first few minutes of the credits to discover some of what the guys did during their wild night. Once the credits are completely done, there isn't anything else shown.
The Hangover takes a little bit of time to introduce the four guys and set up the situation. The guys are shown during their drive to Vegas and arriving at the hotel before they head out for the evening. Then the movie jumps forward to the next morning and shows the aftermath. After that, everything is focused on Alan, Phil, and Stu trying to piece together what happened the night before so they can find Doug. The plot isn't that complicated, but it makes for a very entertaining movie. There are some goofs throughout the movie, usually when an injury a character has changes slightly or an item that was damaged changes condition after it received the damage. I'm being vague about those things on purpose because I don't want to share too much and spoil something for people who haven't seen the movie yet.
The Hangover is absolutely hilarious and is the funniest movie I've seen in a long time. Even though the comedy works well, it won't appeal to some people because so much of it relies on crude, raunchy, or even obscene things. Anyone that is offended by that type of humor should avoid this movie, but it is definitely worth seeing for people that can appreciate this type of humor. The trailer did include some of the funny moments without going so far as to show the funniest bits, something that seems to happen far to often. Alan, Phil, and Stu all said or did things that were funny throughout the movie. Stu was a bit more subtle at times, but he ends up with some of the funniest moments, like when he is singing about their situation. The last line really cracked me up. A few things done for humor are a bit over done, but they still worked overall. The humor is juvenile in many places, but it still manages to work. There are a few references to other movies and television shows, and Stu even says "Riddle me this" like the Riddler at one point. Some gross things, like one or two characters being sick, happen as well. I could have done without seeing the gross things, but there were just a few of them.
The Hangover is mainly a comedy, though it has a bit of mystery added in connected to the night the guys can't remember. It is clear from the condition of their room that some very wild stuff went on. Shortly after waking up the next morning, the guys discover a clue that sets off their attempts at retracing their steps from the night before. The mystery helps keep things interesting even though it isn't that strong. As the movie progresses, the guys slowly start to piece together what had happened. Some of what happens is predictable, but there are several surprises as well so I don't think the movie was predictable overall.
Several things happening in The Hangover have the potential to be offensive. The movie definitely deserves the R rating and no children of any age should see it. Characters drink, use drugs, have explicit conversations, and do other questionable things. There is nudity in a few scenes and some characters are shown making out, but there aren't any actual sex scenes. Just about every character uses profanity, sometimes getting rather graphic. The word that rhymes with luck and various variations of the word are used numerous times. Anyone that is offended by those things will more than likely want to avoid this movie.
Doug is very important to everything going on throughout The Hangover even though he actually isn't in that much of the movie. His disappearance drives the movie and provides the motivation for most of what the three other guys do. Since he isn't around much, not much is shared about him, but he seems like a nice guy who is probably a bit more cautious and stable than Phil. Justin Bartha does well with the part. I mainly know him from his part as Riley in National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Tracy, the woman he is marrying, is shown even less, so Sasha Barnes really didn't have much to do.
Based on something said at one point, it sounds like Doug, Phil, and Stu have been friends since childhood. Phil is married with a child and a school teacher, but he acts very immature at times and complains about how horrible it is to be married. His wife is only briefly shown, so there really isn't any basis for his complaints. His wife basically does nothing during her brief time on screen, and she isn't even given a name. Phil does some questionable things, though it is clear that he is determined to find Doug. Bradley Cooper is really good in the part. He and Bartha appeared together in Failure to Launch.
Stu is a dentist who tells everyone who will listen that he is a doctor. He is very nervous about some things, mostly because of his very domineering girlfriend Melissa. He lies to her about going to Vegas because he knows that she would have a fit if she knew where he was going. He is a bit of a wimp because of how she acts. Ed Helms is wonderful in the part, and very funny. Melissa is very controlling with Ed and she treats him horribly. She is not a nice character at all. Rachel Harris does well with the part.
Alan is Tracy's brother. It is hinted that he has some issues, though they are never actually shared. He does some very wild things and tends to look at things slightly differently than the others. Alan is a very interesting character who is likable overall. Zach Galifianakis is great in the part. Tracy and Alan's parents, Linda and Sid are only shown briefly, so they really don't do much. Before the trip, Sid understands about going to Vegas. Heather Graham turns up in a few scenes as a prostitute/stripper named Jade. She actually didn't irritate me, something that she usually does in her movies. Ken Jeong is in a few scenes as Mr. Chow, a very over the top, flamboyant character. A few other people turn up once or twice, including Mike Tyson as himself, without any of those characters adding much to the movie.
Main Cast
Sasha Barnes - Tracy Justin Bartha - Doug Bradley Cooper - Phil Sondra Currie - Linda Zach Galifianakis - Alan Heather Graham - Jade Rachel Harris - Melissa Ken Jeong - Mr. Chow Jeffrey Tambor - Sid
Todd Phillips - Director
The Hangover is a hilarious comedy that is worth seeing for people who don't mind crude, raunchy, offensive, and even obscene humor. The movie is not family friendly and it won't appeal to a lot of people, but it is a well done R rated comedy.
This review is part of elvisdo's 2009 Funny Pages Write Off because of Stu using one of the Riddler's lines. Since Christophe Beck, the man who composed the original music in the movie, is from Montreal, it is also part of elvisdo's 2009 Canadian Write Off.
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