The Hangover

I can not remind myself that I've laughed this much for a long time. Everything from start to finish offers a wonderful blend of humor, so I think everyone will find something they like in this movie. It's hard not to find a favorite character because all the characters have so many things to offer.

After seeing this movie for the third time, I think it has exactly the same charm as the first time. I will probably look at it many more times in the future and that says a lot about the movie. I recommend it to anyone who has not seen it and if it's been a long time since you saw it, watch it again! It's worth it.

Sometimes the title of a film can sell itself, or at the very least pique a viewer's interest. Director Todd Phillip's new comedy The Hangover does this and more by introducing an infinitely relatable premise and infusing it with a clever story to keeps the gimmick supported for the duration. While providing the requisite raunch, stupidity and laughs, The Hangover is bolstered more by its puzzle piece narrative then by straight up humour. The mark of a good comedy is one that can keep your interest in between the laughs; be it by human drama, character development or in this case, a meandering riddle.

What do we really know about a hangover? We know we have one, and we know we drank too much. Often everything before, after and in-between can be a blur at best, and for three friends, Phil, Stu and Alan they certainly got the worst. Travelling to Las Vegas for a night of sin, gin and wins to celebrate their friend Doug's (Justin Bartha) bachelor party they awaken the next morning to find their hotel room a tad dishevelled, a tiger in their bathroom, their memories wiped clean and their groom to be MIA. Playing the three worried bros respectively are Bradley Cooper as the bored-with-his-life school teacher, Ed Helms as the neurotic dentist and Zach Galifanakis as the awkward weirdo and soon to be brother in law of Doug. So unfolds the mystery; trying to find their missing friend before the wedding by piecing together the clues of their epic night out.

For me the standout of the group was certainly Ed Helms. He plays the role straight, he is likable and he is funny. His characters arc is the most complete and entertaining and he certainly grounds his wilder counterparts nicely. The other players are certainly funny, yet the characters of Phil and Alan are not fully likable. Cooper's Phil is a bit of a prick and Alan is flat out creepy. That aside the actors put forward such commendable efforts all is soon forgotten and the quick pace and continual humour keeps things fast, fun and frantic.

As promised by the trailers, we get a cameo from the Mike Tyson who is funnier for being himself then for his actual performance, darting in an out with a great supporting performance is heather Graham as an escort and Mike Epps makes good use of his time as quote 'Black Doug'. More hilarious yet is a closing cover for rapper 50 Cents' Candy Shop which is as inspired as it is hilarious. The Hangover is certainly one of those comedies that is re-watchable, and likely to improve with repeat viewings. However it is probably a good thing actual hangovers are not this much fun; I'd rather die of laughter then alcohol poisoning.

Read all my reviews at simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

Hangover, The (2009)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Four buddies head off to Vegas for a bachelor party but the next morning they wake up not knowing what happened the night before and discovering one is missing. They must then try to retrace their steps and locate the missing buddy. I'm always a bit hesitant to fall into the mass market when it comes to something popular because a lot of times I end up watching the film and it turns out to be a major disappointment but that's not the case with this gem because it lived up to its reputation and in my opinion passed them. I'm not going to call this the greatest film of the year but I might add it's the most original. You'd think a comedy about getting messed up in Vegas would be "been there, done that" but this takes a familiar set up and does something original with it. Instead of showing us the crazy party night, we don't see a second of it and instead we're thrown into a mystery and the laughs come from trying to figure out that mystery. For my money the screenplay is nearly flawless as it does a great job at building up our thoughts on what happened but the film then takes us to places that you certainly won't see coming. The majority of the laughs come from things that you normally wouldn't expect like a masterful scene involving a trunk. Even the jokes that you do expect (strippers) is done extremely well and with hilarious results. I won't ruin many of the jokes because of the "mystery" behind them is what makes them work so well but there were several scenes where tears were running down my face from laughing so hard. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis give terrific performances and their chemistry and comic timing with one another helps push the film even further. The three make for an excellent team and watching this film makes it look like the trio had been working together for years because they come off so well together. Heather Graham isn't too bad in her role and the great Jeffrey Tambor even gets a nice laugh. You really have to respect a movie that takes a familiar plot and mixes it up to the point of it being completely original and most importantly, downright hilarious. I hate labeling films when they're so fresh but I would be shocked if this movie isn't looked at in ten years the same way we look at "dirty" comedies like NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE and PORKY'S today.

When a movie is funny, even though you have seen some of it's funniest moments in the trailer, you know you have a winner. Hangover, which does have some similarities to the movie "Very Bad Things", but does not sport the same dark humor, is a comedy that works for many reasons and was therefor successful.

The actors: Be it Bradley Cooper, who deservedly gets the main (active) role here, was a hoot when he was on Alias (JJ Abrams TV Show). Here he can display his comedic potential more than in "He's not that into you". Zach Galifianakis is a bit odd and might scare a few people off, but he is a perfect fit (no pun intended). Ken Jeong, whom I've seen in several comedies in the last few months and many other comedians (and a cameo here and there) really make a wonderful ensemble (if you can avoid it, don't watch the trailer, before you see the movie, one cameo in particular is just so much better, if you don't know what's gonna hit you ... again no pun intended).

The story is pretty simple and you have to stretch your disbelief a bit, but it's all for the sake of really good comedy. And the ending is just perfect too. Everything fits and even though I don't know what they really would do in a sequel (there are rumors), I'd love to see one! :o)

With the exception of one character (more later in this review), I found this movie filled with male, sophomoric humor. Having said that most of the females in the audience also enjoyed it; kind of an equal opportunity movie to offend all sexes equally.

Unlike most trailers that show all the humor in a 60 second clip, this movie will throw so many funny situations at you so quickly that you will be giggling non-stop for the first hour.

Then, the introduction of the Mr. Chow part - essential for the plot, but played WAY over the top by Ken Jeong - became distracting. Up to that point, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, and Zach Galifianakis carried the movie briskly and with real chemistry. Zach Galifianakis, in particular, was brilliant. Who is this guy???! The last 30 minutes were not as good as the first hour and I found the ending somewhat forced.

HOWEVER, everyone I talked with after the movie will be seeing it again. This is one movie that is as funny as advertised.

Of course, I will get flamed by those who find this kind of humor too low brow for their tastes. Hey, just know what you're getting into when you see this.