A hangover of a film that you won't soon forget., 22 June 2009
The Hangover is one of those movies that could have really been something special, if the pieces were placed together well. The plot was engaging, the acting was great, the pacing was perfect, and the premise itself is something unique and overall a win-win scenario. What was left? The content within the plot. The right blend of humor and comical suspense could elevate this to one of the comedic greats of recent decades. But, they just missed the mark, barely missed the mark. Oh, but it was so close. The Hangover is an excellent story about escapades and mayhem in Vegas and their consequences, but gets hindered because of the overload of crude humor, softer second act, and an under-written character that wasn't funny at all. Despite these setbacks, The Hangover is worthy of a viewing, especially if you enjoyed Todd Phillips' brand of crude adult humor.
In the surprise-sleeper hit of the summer, we follow two good friends of the groom and the bride's brother taking the groom to Vegas for a bachelor party before the wedding. All of a sudden, it is morning, three of the four wakes up to a disastrous room; and a random baby nearby. Oh and there's a chicken and a tiger in the hotel room as well. One is missing a tooth, the other has scratches everywhere, and one is missing pants. The groom is missing. The rest of the movie is spent picking up clues as to what happened, how it happened, and where on earth the groom went. The setup is crazy, and the events that unfolded the evening before was just as crazy. This is a sort of script the mainstream hasn't experienced in quite some time. The movie becomes mostly comedy, but with hints of mystery as well.
The best part of the movie is most definitely the screenplay, which was molded well by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Instead of a Ferrell or Apatow production which creates a situation and improvisation fills in the gaps, The Hangover relies strictly on plot and what twists and turns are thrown to our main characters. The hangover peeps encounter an angry Mike Tyson, disgruntled cops, gangsters, and much more in the span of 48 hours that follow the mysteriously drunken evening. This is the first raunchy comedy script I've seen that deserves at least an Oscar nod for its creativity since The 40-Year-Old Virgin several years ago.
Of course, it's the premise that sold the tickets, since virtually nobody knew who was actually in the film. Nonetheless, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms steal the show with their outstanding performances as the frontrunners in the chase for the truth of the previous evening and the groom. Everyone else (even Mike Tyson) does a respectable job, with the exception of one. Zach Galifianakis' role as the screw-loose brother of the bride just falls flat most of the time. His character comes cross as a mix of a pedophile, a druggie, and Brick from Anchorman (in terms of the random statements and questions). This mix fails because Steve Carell perfected the dimwit role as Brick, and there virtually no consistency with Alan's character. He is the one role that was not fleshed out.
Your other drawback is the amount of crude humor. Crude humor is best in small doses (see: Blazing Saddles, Airplane, Dumb and Dumber, 40-Year-Old Virgin). In The Hangover, it's a bit overblown, and sometimes is used to try to save a scene. Todd Phillips improved upon his pacing abilities and good shots of Las Vegas, but still relies too much on crude humor and not enough on other ways to make the audience laugh. The tale didn't need the gross comedy, and would have been a great production altogether if they had toned down on the nastiness. The final scene makes you want to cringe almost.
Bottom Line: Not as funny as everyone is making it out to be, but it's still a hilarious movie full of unpredictable moments and insanity. This sleeper hit proves you don't need big stars to make money; just deliver a premise too fun to pass up. The writing is superb, the acting (for the most part) is great, and the surprises keep you engaged with what is going on. If you can get past the crude, then you'll find a gem that's a few polishes away from truly shining among the greats. Instead, it settles for Phillips' best film since Old School, and one of the funniest raunch fests of the decade.
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