Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Mike Tyson
Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 100 minutes
Directed by Todd Phillips
As I've said before, it's been a pretty dull few years on the quality comedy front. But, thankfully, that's all changed this year – 2009 kicked off with two hilarious Hollywood romps, Role Models and Sex Drive, and then kicked it up a notch with the brilliant British polical comedy In The Loop. Now we have what's probably the funniest comedy to come out of Hollywood in close to a decade, The Hangover – and with nary a big name in sight.
The buzz has been building around The Hangover for some time now, and it's well deserved. The plot follows a well trodden path – a bunch of guys head to Las Vegas for a bucks' weekend – but it brings a surprising freshness, and plenty of twists. Doug (Bartha) is about to marry Tracy (Barresse). So, for his last weekend of freedom, he and three buddies – Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Alan (Galifianakis) – take a road trip to Vegas for a night of debauchery. Unfortunately, when they wake up the next morning, Doug is missing, the hotel suite has been trashed, there's a tiger in the bathroom and a baby in the closet. And none of them has any recollection of the night before.
That's really all you need to know before you see The Hangover. Just sit back and let it all unfold, and enjoy the constant stream of laughs that comes your way. It's a brilliantly sharp script from Lucas and Moore, neither of whom has really written anything of note until now – just a few ordinary romantic comedies. Director Phillips has a slightly sharper pedigree, with a CV that includes Road Trip, Starsky & Hutch and Old School. All three of them can now pretty much name their own price. So too can the largely unknown cast – Bartha, Cooper and Helms turn in excellent performances, but the chunky, bearded Galifianakis comes close to stealing the film.
The simplest way to describe The Hangover is as an adult version of Dude, Where's My Car. But this time, actually funny. With real jokes. And proper actors. Do youself a favour, and go see it.
_______________________________________
SECOND OPINION | Duncan Bain ***½ Featuring a cast of unknowns, The Hangover has seemingly come from nowhere to already become one of the highest grossing comedies ever in the US. Hyperbole would seem inevitable, and expectations fittingly raised. Charting the aftermath of a stag night in Vegas, The Hangover follows three groomsmen as they attempt to piece together the events of the previous night in order to locate their lost stag. What follows is a debauched memory trip as our heroes follow clues to pick up the pieces, seemingly casting off their inhibitions as each revelation from the night before continues to surprise them.
The three leads are all in career-making roles here, but it is Zach Galifianakis as “Fat Jesus” Alan that is the instant standout, instantly earning plaudits like “the next Seth Rogen” from various quarters of the press. Make no mistake, the content and humour in this film is decidedly adult, and ultimately rather broad. The director was previously responsible for Old School (which made a household name of Will Ferrell), and this film displays a similar love for “guys who should know better”. The Hangover is a very funny film and it cleverly exploits its unique story structure to continually shock the audience. While the laughs continually flowed, personally I’d rate this year’s Role Models and I Love You, Man as funnier and better films, although one senses that The Hangover will benefit from repeated viewings once the DVD arrives in the autumn. See it before your work colleagues spoil all the best jokes.