WHAT IT’S ABOUT?
Three groomsmen take their friend on a bachelor party to Las Vegas only to wake up in a post-drunken stupor the next morning with no memory of what occurred the night before. With an abandoned baby crying in their hotel suite’s closet a roaming tiger in their bathroom and a completely AWOL groom their lives suddenly become very complicated as they try to put the pieces of their “Boys Gone Wild” night together and find their friend before the wedding bells start to ring.
WHO’S IN IT?
The Hangover features a smart cast of deft comic actors who try to make the most of a terrific premise with mixed results. Bradley Cooper is winning as Phil a smartass high school teacher out for a good time with his buds. Ed Helms (The Office) is also quite funny as Stu a pussy-whipped dentist who doesn’t normally stray far from his own overbearing girlfriend (Rachael Harris). The hip alternative comedian Zach Galifianakis comes off Jack Black-like and seems confused on just how far over-the-top to take Alan a rather gross unkempt brother-in-law to be for the groom. As the missing husband-to-be Doug Justin Bartha doesn’t have a whole lot to do because for most of the running time he’s uh missing. Heather Graham brings a sweet relaxed quality as a stripper who hooks up with Stu but Ken Jeong overplays it as a fast-talking foul-mouthed low-life criminal who claims the gang owes him $80 000. In a clever bit of casting former boxer Mike Tyson also turns up for some action but proves that as an actor he’s not a heavyweight.
WHAT’S GOOD?
The pitch for The Hangover from screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Four Christmases) must have gone over like gangbusters. It’s a hilarious premise and the early scenes setting it all up are priceless. The hard R-rated tone of the crude dialogue will certainly satisfy the young beer-swigging male demographic the film aims to please.
WHAT’S BAD?
Bottom line is that as good as the idea is it’s played out as sort of a one-joke premise over the course of 99 minutes without ever seeming truly inspired. Guys get wasted and try to find out why. That’s about it. Plus the screenwriters and director Todd Phillips (Old School) throw their credibility card out the window in ridiculous scenes with taser-crazy cops hyped-up Asian mobsters and stereotypes run amok. It’s funny to a point but it could have been classic.
FAVORITE SCENE?
Seeing the three guys waking up to find the tiger and the baby can’t be beat but most of this funny stuff is in the Hangover trailer that’s been running for weeks.
BEST REASON TO STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS?
A still montage that finally pays off the whole movie and shows what each of the guys did on the fateful night is a riot. The final image involving Galifianakis and a certain unidentified woman on her knees makes you wonder how they got it past the ratings board without being slapped with an NC-17.
NETFLIX OR MULTIPLEX?
Either way. This is the ideal six-pack frat-boy movie that MUST be seen with a large group of slobs.
