The Hangover (review)

Rating: 3/5 Worth watching

Finally! A hangover that doesn't need a cure.

Sure you still feel dirty afterward but otherwise there are no ill effects. This movie is exactly what you expect and what they sell it as. A raunchy laugh at guys taking the party way too far. So often these movies feature mindless idiots doing stupid things just for a laugh. However, this movie does a much better job showing you that these are some good guys that care about each other. They just made a series of mistakes that led to a serious problem but they'll do anything to set things right.

Doug (Justin Bartha) is scheduled to get married in two days. His two best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Stu (Ed Helms) decide to take him to Vegas for a night. They also invite Alan, (Zach Galifianakis) Doug's soon-to-be brother-in-law, who is a little weird. The four friends set off for the party of a lifetime. The problem comes when they wake up the next morning and can't remember what happened last night. That problem is compounded by the fact that Doug is missing. The three groomsman set off to figure out what went on last night in hopes that retracing their steps will lead them to Doug. Along the way they have to figure out how they picked up a baby and why there is a tiger in their hotel bathroom. They meet some interesting people in their search for what went on including a stripper (Heather Graham) and a flamboyant mob boss named Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong).

Galifianakis is hilarious as the socially inept Alan and really drives the comedy by constantly creating weird situations and saying absurd things. Jeong is another key to the humor in this movie though his flamboyancy seems over the top at times. Cooper is a good leader and although he pretends to be a real man's man he cares deeply for his friend and his family. Helms' character has lived a rather mundane life and may be the character most changed by their trip, though all of them realize the value of their friendship over the course of finding Doug.

There's not much I can say without spoiling some of the jokes so I will keep this short. It balances wonderfully between the laugh out loud funny moments that you expect and the character development story that sneaks up on you. The scenery and shots of Vegas are beautiful and there is one reference to another film that was shot partially in Vegas that I found awesome. The comedy is absurd and vulgar but it never feels over the top.

This is the kind of movie that any man who's had a wild night, or any woman who's ever known a man who sometimes goes overboard (hint: that's every man), can understand and laugh at. Still, it shows us that if we have friends who care about us we can survive anything. Even the worlds worst hangover.


The Hangover at IMDB
100 minutes
Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material.

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