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THE HANGOVER Todd Phillips Starring Bradley Cooper Ed Helms Zach Galifianakis Justin Bartha The Hangover conducts itself in the same vain as every other ridiculously immature boy's comedy but for some reason excels - similar to Animal House and Old School. In theory, it shouldn't, it has course language, nudity, moronic drunken antics and pitiful quick-fix resolves (not unlike most in its subgenre) but somehow this film entertains. The plot is incredibly episodic, leaping from mad scenario to mad scenario as three friends try to recall the events of the previous night and the whereabouts of their groom-to-be friend, Doug [Bartha]. It's a fairly slow start, establishing all the characters in their neat little archetypal roles: Phil [Cooper] is the loud, brash, playboy-leader of the group, Stu [Helms] is the under-the-thumb nerdy doctor/dentist and Alan [Galifianakis] is the zany, not-all-there, fat-guy, comic relief. As far as casting goes, everything seems pitch perfect bar one: Phil. It's hard to say exactly what annoyed me but essentially it boils down to the fact that this character is a 2D, obnoxious prick - a role ideal for Vince Vaughn - but unlike Vaughn, Bradley Cooper lacks that forgivable roguish quality and instead comes off as the average know-it-all jock. On the upside, stand-up Galifianakis (of whom I am a bit of a fan) was hilarious; he played every setup perfectly and completely and utterly stole this film - I can only hope his workload will increase tenfold because of this. However, as stated, this film is very immature and as such plays the stupidity card one time too many; certain scenes could have easily been reworked and the presence of Mike Tyson was not only unnecessary but a brutal hindrance to the movie. And as the story moves from highly improbable scenario to grossly-unlikely resolution audiences will quickly divide between those who will simply suspend disbelief and go with it and those who will throw their hands up shouting, "As if that would happen!" Technically speaking, the film is perfectly sound, well-lit, decently edited and directed; granted, the soundtrack is expectedly the usual club hits but it works to aid the movie's flow. I believe it's a combination of these factors and the pitch-perfect hilarity of certain japes that lend to this film's success. This is in no way the first film about drunken guys doing dumb things in Vegas and it is most certainly not the last but in similar fashion to Swingers and Very Bad Things, it's strangely forgivable and rather enjoyable. Release Date: US - 5th June 2009 UK - 12th June 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: **Big predictable spoilers** As stated, the noted escapades in this film are so far-fetched, they're well beyond ridiculous, so to list a few here may not cast the best light on the film. Instead, I will mention two scenes I hated. The first was the attempt to win back $80,000 by counting cards and ripping-off Rain Man, as every Vegas film insists on. The second is the perfectly timed arrival at the wedding with all four men alive and in tact. I hated that, I really did. Everyone was forgiving, nobody cared about their late arrival, or how red Doug was, or the state of the car, it was all simply batted away with a knowing look, a wink and a shrug and wearily muttering one word: Vegas. I hate that. I hate that society just accepts guys go to Las Vegas, get messed up and do stupid things. People shouldn't be absolved for these things, they should be made public spectacles. One of the lines that highlights this is a contemporary belief that I abhor, the idea that you can gauge the success of a night by how little you remember and how bad you feel the following morning. Horse piss! Notable Characters: Initially, I was rather concerned that Galifianakis would get shafted into a backseat role but both he and Ed Helms were very funny in places, bordering on hilarious. I would even go so far as to say Galifianakis' antics were up there with John Belushi's in Animal House. The film is worth watching for his performance alone. Highlighted Quote: "Six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys I thought, wait a second, could it be? And now I know for sure.. I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine" In A Few Words: "Not the most original of plot devices but one of the more amusing and worth a watch" Total Score: 
7/10Matthew Stogdon |
