The Hangover Review – Smart and Funny
June 30, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: The Hangover * Official Site | In Theaters: June 5, 2009 |
| Runtime: 100 minutes | Directed by: Todd Phillips |
| MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material | Gecko Rating: |
Sometimes a movie comes along that you think will be crude and stupid, and it turns out to be smart and funny. That’s "The Hangover." At first glance, it’s a crude buddy movie with lots of sex and drugs. Ok, it’s all that, but look a little further and you’ve got a smart, funny film with great writing and real characters, not movie cliches.
Basically, the story is about a Las Vegas bachelor blow-out that goes horribly, horribly wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and three pals (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) head for Vegas for one last bash they’ll never forget.
But shortly after arriving, the three have a few drinks on the rooftop and then … wake up the next morning with zero memory of the previous night. Not only that, Doug is missing. The three remaining buddies embark on a fact-finding mission to learn exactly what happened. The clues include: a trashed hotel suite, a baby, a tiger, Mike Tyson, the Japanese mob, a missing tooth, and a hooker with a heart of gold.
And, of course, there’s the whole thing about trying to get Doug back to his bride in time for the wedding.
If you’re just needing to escape for a couple of hours with some adult humor, I highly recommend "The Hangover." None of the characters are stereotypes, but rather real people with hang-ups and issues and strengths and weaknesses. Imagine – character development in a movie! Highlights include:
- A guy who’s not really all there, but the other guys don’t make fun of him. They look out for him (how novel!).
- Heather Graham as the hooker who’s just trying to make ends meet.
- Bradley Cooper, who’s not hard to look at, by any means.
- Great writing and a plot that twists and turns and always has you guessing.
Check out the trailer:
Image: TM and (c) 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
