Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha
In Cinemas: 11 June 2009
With such a simple concept, it’s surprising that the plot of The Hangover seems so uniquely funny compared to other “one crazy night” movies of its kind.
Three buddies (and a gate crasher) trek to Las Vegas to celebrate the upcoming marriage of one of their own with a bucks party weekend. Sounds fairly tame, except until they get so wasted on their night of arrival none of them call recall a single thing that happened – meaning maximum mayhem ensued and they must somehow piece it together because the groom-to-be has gone MIA.
When it comes to comedies, “stupid-funny” isn’t the kind that entertains everybody. Vulgar and dumb humour tends to have a type, usually those who enjoy shows like Family Guy or movies like Superbad. But while The Hangover is certainly vulgar and definitely not for everyone, it is far from stupid. The dialogue and characters are intelligently carried out and it had this reviewer laughing within the first 30 seconds.
The fantastic cast of characters includes the handsome and smooth talking Phil brilliantly executed by Bradley Cooper, the loopy dentist Stu played by Ed Helms and the future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who delivers the most laughs. The trio spend the majority of the film chasing groom-to-be Doug (Justin Bartha) and dealing with Stu’s insane “hooker with a heart of gold” girlfriend (Heather Graham) and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) as the future father-in-law.
Stealing the entire show from the more experienced actors is Zach Galifianakis, who pulls dazed one-liners as the “not all there” member of the group. His priceless loopy facial expressions don’t grow old no matter how frequent they become towards the end of the film. And even when the plot is dangerously teetering on blatant unoriginality, Galifianakis seems to have stepped in from another movie to lend The Hangover a fresh blast of genuine hilarity.
In saying that, The Hangover has many great bits that don’t directly include Galifianakis. Whether it’s when characters kick mobile phones away from kids, attempt to sacrifice a random acquaintance when begging for mercy at the hands of gangsters or pee in Mike Tyson’s pool, The Hangover has a script that goes an extra crazy mile. It’s the kind of film that makes you wish you were there for the ride but secretly happy to stay 100 feet away from these guys at any time.
