The Hangover (Warner Brothers)
A Headache and A Half
The Hangover is a comedy built around the premise that boys will be boys and that getting smashed is an American ritual that must be followed by the men on the night before they or a friend get married. If you are okay with that set up then you might get some enjoyment out of The Hangover.
In the film Doug (Justin Bartha) is the groom to be in question. His future brother in law Alan (Zack Galifianakis) and best buds Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) take him to Vegas for a night of partying. The next morning they awaken in their suite and find a tiger in the room along with a chicken and a baby, but no Doug. He is missing in action.
They immediately try to recall the night before but none of the three can remember what happened. As they piece the night together as best they can, and try to locate Doug, they find they are in possession of a police car. They also discover one of them married a stripper (Heather Graham). And on and on it goes.
Alan is the dumbest of the group in a lot of ways and the smartest in others. He is a boy/man stuck in somewhat of an in between world. Phil and Stu tolerate him but barely. Especially when they find he is the reason for their blacked out memories.
Phil is a teacher and supposedly the most mature, but some of his actions are totally immature. Stu is a dentist with relationship problems. He is dominated by a shrewish girlfriend named Melissa (Rachel Harris).
The acting by all three of the leading men is okay, but not outstanding. Galifianakis is supposed to be the comic find of the film but his portrayal of Alan gets on your nerves after a while. Helms has a couple of good moments and Cooper is the straight man for all the jokes.
The movie glorifies the drinking habits of the grown men and attempts to justify their behavior by the old boys will be boys theory. But these are not college kids; they are grown men. Wrecking cars and destroying hotel rooms have consequences which we never see in this film.
The movie is rated R for profanity, violence and graphic nudity.
There are no moral lessons to be found in The Hangover. This is an Old School type of film where the consequences dont matter. Getting the laugh is the main goal and it doesnt matter have crude they have to be to get it.
If you are in the mood for this type of raunchy tale then this is the movie for you. If you have some hang-ups about running wild with no thought of the future then you might have trouble stomaching some of the exploits in this film.
I scored The Hangover a hung over 6 out of 10.
