Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Hangover (2009)

THE HANGOVER
DIRECTED BY: TOSS PHILLIPS
WRITTEN BY: JON LUCAS & SCOTT MOORE
OVERALL SCORE: 6.25/10


After a bachelor party in Vegas goes horribly wrong (or perhaps too right), three groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, & Zach Galifianakis) must try to remember what happened, retrace their steps, and find the groom who they have apparently "misplaced."

Take the 1998 dark comedy Very Bad Things about a bachelor party going horribly wrong in Vegas, remove the dead hooker, throw in the Dude Where's My Car (top 10 worst movie ever made material) plotline (minus aliens) and you've just about got The Hangover. Now I know it's not fair to compare The Hangover to two other films, but on a quality level I'd say it's par with Bad Things, but both are miles ahead of DWMC, so that comparison is only abstract. In terms of quality as a comedy I laughed, I hung my head in shame, and in the end I was entertained... but that's about it.

The main three stars each sort of play a single caricature. Cooper looks more like a creepy lounge lizard, but is your generic mid-30s married man who doesn't quite appreciate what he's got. Ed Helms, the geeky guy who is caught in a relationship he isn't happy with, and seeks social and personal freedom. And Galifianakis as the creepy relative with severe social problems. While not original, it's the charm, and talent, of Cooper, Helms, and Galif.... (lazy) that elevates the film above being another bachelor party gone wrong rehash (you can only beat that plot in so much). As well Phillips shows some great aplitude for storytelling which allows the jokes to flow smoothly, and surprise the audience with some quality one-liners.

As a film though it's rather hard for me to judge. I've been sitting on this review for about 2 months now, and I really don't have a strong opinion on it either way. I was entertained by what I saw, enjoyed what was given to me, but I never attached myself to it. It's not a film that I'll sit around and go "oh remember that great scene in The Hangover...", because none of them really resonated with me. Sure the Michael Tyson cameo was funny, but I hardly remember it now. As well so much of personal taste goes into comedy, perhaps more than any other genre, it's incredibly difficult to tell if something I found amusing, someone else would find hilarious or horrible. So I'll just say it's a film with quality entertainment, but for me it's not the classic many have been making it out to be. Alas if there is a next installment I'll happily watch it.

While I wouldn't call it a classic comedy, I've got no problem with the movie per say, I laughed a good amount, and as such I'll recommend it.

3 better thoughts:

Lemmy Caution said...

Agreed. It had a fair amount of laughs, and Zach whatshisname had some excellent timing and delivery of his lines (I'm not allowed within a hundred feet of a school.....or a chuck e cheese).

Nothing new or original here, just some good laughs peppered throughout.

Ciaran O'Brien said...

completely enjoyable and completely forgettable. Probably a film best enjoyed on DVD with a few friends.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....very good movie...This is very funny movie...You can also watch the hangover movie from this website....

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