The Hangover Gave Me A Headache from Laughing So Much

The Hangover = 4 out of 5 Stars
 
Phil Wenneck: Tracy, it's Phil.
Tracy Garner: Phil, where the hell are you guys?
Phil Wenneck: We lost Doug.
Tracy Garner: What? We're getting married in *five hours*.
Phil Wenneck: Yeah... that's not gonna happen. 

 
A hilarious and hard R-rated comedy that takes a wonderful premise and makes it all work. It has a great cast, great reveals, and tons of memorable lines, visuals, and moments scattered throughout.


Alan: You probably get this a lot, but is this really Caesar's palace? You know, did Caesar actually live here?

Doug, played by Justin Bartha, is getting married, and his three friends: Phil, the married/sleazy teacher played by Bradley Cooper, Stu, the pussy-whipped dentist played by Ed Helms, and Alan the...strange soon-to-be brother-in-law played by Zach Galfifianakis, all group together to have a bachelor party in Vegas. However, after a cheerful toast to the next step in life after a hopefully delightful and fun evening, we cut to the next day where the guys wake up with absolutely no memory of what happened, their room and themselves completely trashed, and oh, Dough is no where to be seen.

Stu: We can't just leave a baby here, there's a fucking tiger in the bathroom.

What follows is a mystery of sorts, as the guys attempt to figure out what exactly happened the previous night, using clues found in their pockets and their room, along with following leads from the various people they encounter. This leads to the revelations of the many terrible things the guys did, including random marriage, abduction, teeth pulling, and something involving a chicken that's not explained. Hopefully they find Doug.

Phil: He might be face down in a ditch getting fucked by a meth head


From the director of Old School, this movie manages to assemble another solid three male lead cast, possibly one of the best since Old School. These guys are hilarious together, offering up different types of humor between them. Cooper may be playing the straightest man of the group, but his more likable version of "The Sack," which he played in Wedding Crashers is welcome. Ed Helms is quite hilarious from the way he delivers all his lines, along with a welcome singing intermission. And Zach Galifianakis is bound to get more roles the same way Will Ferrel did following Old School. He has so many hilarious one-liners, that the movie easily welcomes additional viewings to catch everything.

Allan: I'm a One-Man Wolf Pack.


It was also nice to see Heather Graham in a prominent role again, after seeming to be missing in action for a while. She plays a stripper/escot and newly wed to one of the guys, and still manages to put a sincere touch into her character.

Stu: I lost a tooth, I married a whore.
Allan: Hey, you don't say that, she's a nice lady!


One thing that may not be mentioned enough is how well made this movie is. The way Philips gets his shots of Vegas and the starting up in a more idealized version only to fall into a washed out, dry desert is quite neat. The opening credits convey this very nicely, switching midway through the the peacefulness into a dark song with different typeface for the credits that follow.

Alan: Hey, I got skittles in there!

Now the pacing may be a bit off towards the end of the second act, but the movie still manages to be frequently funny, and reels everything back in for is finale. Some of the more shocking humor may not provide as big of laughs for future viewings, but that will be saved by the cheerfully great lead performances and abundance of fun this movie sets out to provide.

Stu: They shot Eddy!

Very funny.

Allan: Who's ready to let the dogs out?

Comments

Popular Posts

Sex, Drugs, Car Chases – It’s Not High School, It’s ’21 Jump Street’

‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ Tears Through The Floors And Hits Rock Bottom

Out Now Bonus: Aaron And His Mom Discuss ‘The Babadook’

Out Now Commentary: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

The Evil Dead Drinking Game

Search This Blog